This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch’s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK – Aaron Judge said he’d trade all his awards and accolades for another opportunity to win a World Series, and it’s easy to believe him. If the past year taught the Yankees anything, it’s that these chances never come with a guarantee.
That’s where the Yankees find themselves as the offseason continues, their roster again centered around Judge, now the American League’s Most Valuable Player for the third time in four years after edging the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh in one of the closest races in recent memory.
Soon enough, Judge will sport a tuxedo and cradle that award, thanking those who made it possible. But as he said on a conference call late last week with members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, he’d gladly swap it all for a championship dogpile.
“I think I’d trade every award I’ve gotten and every All-Star appearance for an opportunity to win a championship,” Judge said. “We’ve still got quite a few years left; hopefully this next year will be the year. But that’s my main focus. That’s why I wake up every day, why I continue to try to improve and become a better player.”
Judge said every year without a title prompts internal reflection, wondering what he could do differently to change the outcome. That’s admirable, but when you list the areas where the Yankees need to improve, their captain is hardly the issue.
That was clear this past year, where Judge again excelled but the Yankees fell short in their defense of the AL pennant, appearing outclassed by the Blue Jays for most of the year — including in the AL Division Series, memorable for Judge’s game-tying three-run homer in Game 3 and little else.
Despite that, manager Aaron Boone has said the 2025 roster was “a team that could have gone deep and could have matched up and played with anyone,” which hints at a temptation to run much of the same group back and hope for a different result.
Meanwhile, general manager Brian Cashman said this offseason that he did not feel additional urgency because Judge, about to turn 34, is approaching a curve where player performance generally begins to taper.
“I don’t look at it,” Cashman said in October. “I just look at trying to put the best team we can with what’s available at the time.”
The first major call of the offseason came with a qualifying offer to Trent Grisham, valued at $22.025 million. Coming off a year in which he hit a career-high 34 homers, Grisham has until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to accept. If Grisham declines, it would provide a clearer read on the free-agent outfield market, which is generally thought to be thin.
No wonder, then, that Cody Bellinger figures to have a wide selection of suitors. Agent Scott Boras lauded Bellinger as “the only five-tool free-agent outfielder” at the recent General Managers Meetings, mixing in numerous references to the Top Gun movies for good measure.
Cashman reiterated the club’s interest in re-signing Bellinger, who hit .272 with 29 homers and 98 RBIs in 152 games. As currently constituted, the Yanks would entertain roles for Jasson Domínguez and top prospect Spencer Jones alongside Judge in the outfield.
But Bellinger – and not Kyle Tucker, another free agent who also promises to draw great interest – appears to be the focus.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: of course, we’d like to have him back,” Cashman said of Bellinger.
While the bullpen needs upgrades, especially with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver now free agents, the rotation is also a concern. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt will all begin the year on the injured list, increasing the demands upon Max Fried and others.
A serviceable swingman like Ryan Yarbrough or Paul Blackburn could help that strain, giving the Yanks a relief boost once their starters return from the IL. Cashman said the Yankees “will be exploring how to protect themselves” from a pitching dearth.
Which brings everything back to Judge. During his call with reporters late last week, Judge brushed off a mention alongside Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle as three-time MVPs, noting those Yankees greats collected multiple rings. He’s still chasing his first.
But Judge also made it clear that spending all these Octobers watching other teams celebrate on their turf is unacceptable.
“When I signed back with the Yankees in ’23, I wanted to finish a job here and bring back a World Series,” Judge said. “We’re still on that mission.”
