TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge has never been one to mince words about what he expects from the New York Yankees. And this winter, the Yankees captain made it clear that watching other clubs load up while the Bronx Bombers sat idle tested his patience in a big way.
Speaking after Monday’s spring training practice in Tampa, Judge offered a candid assessment of how the Yankees handled the offseason. His choice of words left no room for interpretation. But before getting to the heart of what the 33-year-old slugger had to say, it helps to understand the backdrop that fueled his frustration.
Yankees stood still as rivals got stronger
The Yankees posted 94 wins in 2025, only to lose the AL East crown on a tiebreaker. Their postseason ended in the Division Series at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. For a franchise that measures success by championships, it was a bitter pill.
Then came December. And January. And the Yankees barely moved while the rest of the American League went on a spending spree.
The Blue Jays landed Dylan Cease. Boston went on a tear, signing Ranger Suarez and Willson Contreras, then trading for Sonny Gray. Pete Alonso bolted to the Orioles. Alex Bregman headed to Chicago to join the Cubs. And the defending champion Dodgers, fresh off back-to-back World Series titles, threw around $309 million to bring in Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker.
Meanwhile, GM Brian Cashman’s biggest early move was retaining outfielder Trent Grisham. After that, silence. The front office kept talking about re-signing Cody Bellinger, but there was no clear backup plan if the deal fell through.
For Judge, it was agonizing. He wanted the Yankees to bring back Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt immediately and then keep adding from there. Like the fans, he could not understand why the most iconic franchise in baseball was sitting on its hands.
Judge calls early offseason ‘brutal’
That brings us to the word that stung.
“Oh, it was brutal,” Judge said. “I see a lot of free agents out there. I see a lot of guys, like the Bellingers, the Goldschmidts … ‘Let’s sign these guys right now and then start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league get better. They’re making trades. They’re signing big players and we were sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.”
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
Judge did not keep those feelings to himself. As captain, he let management know exactly where he stood. He may have even taken his case to ownership.
“Oh yeah!” Judge confirmed when asked if he made his voice heard.
“Early on, it was pretty tough to watch. 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 out because we’ve got a special group of players here,” he said.
That kind of public candor from a franchise cornerstone puts an uncomfortable spotlight on the front office. Judge is a three-time AL MVP who hit second in the order most of last season. When a player of that stature says the offseason was “brutal,” it carries weight well beyond the Tampa clubhouse.
Late moves ease the tension
The Yankees finally broke the ice when they re-signed Bellinger on Jan. 21. A week later, Goldschmidt came back as well. At 38, the former NL MVP is expected to split time at first base, mentor young starter Ben Rice and serve as a clubhouse leader.
“They took care of business,” Judge said. “They listened to my opinion about a couple of guys, Bellinger being one of the guys. He just adds a dynamic to this team that we’ve been missing for quite a few years. So I’m excited he’s back.”
The Yankees also re-signed Amed Rosario and made pitching trades for Ryan Weathers and Angel Chivilli to fill the gaps left by departed relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. The offense that led the American League in runs and home runs last season returns largely intact.
Judge’s elbow is no longer a worry
MLB
Beyond the roster talk, Judge addressed the other cloud that followed him from 2025: the flexor strain in his right elbow. He spent part of last season as a designated hitter and returned to right field in September with a compromised throwing arm.
“That was the toughest thing for me last year, was the pitcher’s working his butt off and the guys around me are working their butt off and then the ball’s hit to me and I had no shot [to throw a runner out],” Judge said.
He began throwing earlier than usual this offseason on advice from the Yankees training staff. Long toss sessions eventually proved the arm was sound.
“It’s feeling great,” he said after the first full-squad workout. “Haven’t had any issues so far. I think we’re ready to go. I’m throwing out there confident.”
Judge is set to leave camp in about two weeks to represent the United States in the World Baseball Classic before returning for the final stretch of spring training.
The captain is all in on 2026
Despite the rocky start to the winter, Judge said he is fully behind this roster. He’s heard the criticism about the Yankees simply “running it back.” He disagrees.
“I love it,” he said. “People might have their opinions on it because we didn’t win at all last year. We fell short in the Division Series, but we get a chance to bring a lot of those guys back. They’re impact players.”
Judge pointed to Bellinger’s versatility, Goldschmidt’s influence on the young infielders, Grisham’s breakout season in center field and the eventual return of ace Gerrit Cole from Tommy John surgery sometime this summer.
“I’m excited. We’ve got another year for the young guys to develop. We bring back some big pieces, especially Trent Grisham, our center fielder. He had a great breakout year. So I’m looking forward to it. And then you get to add G. Cole down the road a little bit with some other guys. I like our chances,” Judge said.
Whether that confidence proves justified will play out over the next seven months. But one thing is certain: the Yankees captain was not afraid to put the front office on notice when he felt the franchise was falling behind. His “brutal” verdict on the early offseason will linger in the Bronx air for a while.
