NEW YORK – Aaron Judge has become the superstar in the Major League this season. Fans wait more for his home runs than anything about baseball, as the slugger is driving to make a record. For the Yankees, he is nothing less than a Marvel superhero.
The outfielder holds a bright future that can witness an extremely competitive market for him once the season ends. Also, a savior for his team’s reputation, Judge is going to play a role in deciding the fates of many in the Yankees setup, including general manager Brian Cashman and his manager Aaron Boone.
Judge is not only in charge of his own future – which team he will join, what would be the duration of his next contract, and how much money he is going to make next season, but he could also decide the futures of those running the New York Yankees.
Isn’t it something that the Yankees’ power hitter can do?
In Monday’s 5-2 win over the Twins, he hit home run number 54. This means that Roger Maris’s American League record is likely to become Aaron’s by the middle of the month. Judge keeps saying, “It’s not all about me,” but the star of the season couldn’t be more wrong.
The worst-case scenario despite Judge making a record haul
The Yankees barely make it to the finish line and win the AL East, but they are quickly beaten in the Division Series. No revenge for the Astros in the ALCS, or no dream World Series matchup with the Dodgers. Nothing but bitter disappointment over missing the playoffs again so early. This is the 13th year that the Bronx hasn’t won a championship.
This is not a figment of a fan’s imagination but a scenario based on the Yankees’ worst August collapse. Everyone knows how terribly the Yankees had performed during the month of August and how they continue to struggle to score runs even today.
Hal Steinbrenner would be under a lot of pressure to hold someone responsible, either Cashman, who the owner believes the most reliable, or Boone, who signed a 3-year contract last winter.
In the past, neither choice would have been possible. But if October fails again, the Baby Boss wouldn’t have much choice but to give in to public pressure. Steinbrenner would probably have to do something.
All in mess and Judge comes in
What if Judge, who has failed to advance past the divisional round in each postseason since 2017, concludes that he won’t be able to make his breakthrough in New York?
Another early-round contract negotiation could leave Judge with bad taste, maybe enough to persuade him to look for another team. That is if the money is about the same and the decision comes down to a single, hard question: Can Cashman put together a championship team or not?
Know that Judge will have all the power over Steinbrenner, who would be in a tight spot and not just in terms of money. He’d have to promise Judge that the Yankees would do whatever it takes to win in 2023, even if that meant looking closely at Cashman’s track record.
Even though Cashman has never had a team finish below .500 in 24 years, he made some bad decisions in 2022. First, he traded Joey Gallo, took a chance on Josh Donaldson, sold Jordan Montgomery for injured centerfielder Harrison Bader, and kept Aaron Hicks.
And Cashman made another mistake when he told everyone about the terms of the deal Judge turned down in April. The GM said it was done, to be honest, but Judge told his friends he was annoyed by the fact that it was made public.
To be fair, Cashman has done some good things this season, like picking Nestor Cortes and Anthony Rizzo (before Rizzo hurt his back). And getting Clay Holmes from the Pirates has mostly made up for the fast decline of Aroldis Chapman.
Judge to judge the Yankees’ setup
Still, Judge is the only person left in the season. He has been the Yankees’ best player since July. Even though Judge doesn’t seem to mind carrying the load, he might stay in The Bronx if No. 99 thinks Cashman is the right architect for the upcoming rebuild.
That, and Boone is the right manager to lead Judge into his 30s. For Judge to join the Yankees, he needs to have full faith in both of them. He doesn’t want to be a runner-up for the rest of his life.
There are two different ideas to keep in mind. First of all, Judge and Boone are very close mates. It wouldn’t be hard to get Judge to agree with his manager. In fact, it’s more likely that the slugger will have enough influence to persuade Steinbrenner to give Boone a second chance.
The other thing to keep in mind is that there’s nothing that says the Yankees can’t get back on track before October. Cortes and Luis Severino are both close to getting back into the rotation. Rizzo, who has been having back problems, should be back on the field by the weekend. Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu can’t always be this cold.
In other words, if the Yankees do well in the playoffs, they will be able to save their season. If so, everything will be okay, even losing most of July’s 15.5-game lead. This will also save the jobs of Boone and Cashman.
No matter what, Judge has put himself in charge, both on the field and in the corporate world. People who know Judge well say that he really doesn’t know what he wants to do after 2023, but if you watch him calmly answering post-game questions on YES, you can only come to one conclusion:
Aaron Judge is taking over. The Yankees have a new man in charge and he can influence Hal Steinbrenner.
Can Aaron Judge decide the fates of Boone and Cashman? Will Steinbrenner do everything to keep Judge in the team?
