Aaron Judge Admits It Was ‘Brutal’ to Watch Yankees’ Offseason Unfold

Even Yankees captain Aaron Judge had a difficult time watching the club’s slow-moving offseason.

Unlike last year’s offseason, which saw the Yankees lose out on Juan Soto to the crosstown rival Mets before making a furious push to reallocate money to different parts of the roster, New York’s hot stove created embers more than flames. The Yankees spent nearly $200 million this winter on free agents, all of whom were internal free agents, a stark contrast from busy division rivals in the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Orioles.

It was enough to make Judge nervous.

“It was brutal. I see a lot of free agents out there. I see a lot of guys like the Bellingers, the Grishams, the Goldschmidts,” Judge said Monday. “Let's sign these guys right now and then start adding more pieces.

Aaron Judge was asked what the offseason was like for him waiting to see what the Yankees' front office was going to do and waiting to see if Cody Bellinger would come back:

"It was brutal. I see a lot of free agents out there. I see a lot of guys like the Bellingers, the… pic.twitter.com/4FuJKAX2x0
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“I'm seeing other teams around the league get better. They're making trades, they're signing big prospects or big players and we kind of were sitting there for a while, kind of making smaller moves.”

New York extended a $22 million qualifying offer to outfielder Trent Grisham, who accepted the one-year deal to return on Nov. 18. Around that time, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner enraged the team’s fan base when he told reporters he’d like to spend less money on payroll while adding that it was “not fair or accurate” to assume the club had turned a profit this past season. It would be another two months until Bellinger, considered the Yankees’ top free agent priority, signed a $162.5 million deal to return to the Bronx.

“But early on, it was pretty tough to watch,” Judge said. “I'm like, 'man, we're the New York Yankees, let's go out there and get the right people, get the right pieces to go out there and finish this thing off.

“We've got a special group of players here. We've got a good core, good young core. It was frustrating, but I think we're right where we need to be.”

When asked if he made his opinions known to Yankees brass, Judge paused for a moment.

“Yeah, oh yeah,” he said with a laugh. “But they took care of business. I voiced my opinion about a couple guys. Bellinger being one of the guys that just adds a dynamic to this team that’s been missing for quite a few years, so excited he’s back.”

Between the Grisham and Bellinger signings, the Yankees focused largely on adding depth. New York brought back swingmen Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn as insurance with ace starters Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón sidelined until the summer and late-spring, respectively.

To that end, the Yankees also swung a trade with the Marlins for starter Ryan Weathers, the son of former Yankees World Series champion David Weathers. Bullpen depth arrived in the form of Angel Chivalli via a trade with the Rockies and Rafael Montero via a minor league deal. The Yankees then bolstered the bench for manager Aaron Boone by bringing back former National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt, as well as Amed Rosario, Paul DeJong and Max Schuemann.

“It was tough there in the beginning, but I think once we solidified getting Bellinger back, we got Trent being our center fielder, being our leadoff guy for another year,” Judge said. “You add a guy like Goldy, some of the back-end bullpen pieces that we've been doing, I think we'll be in a good spot.”

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