If you are concerned the New York Yankees didn’t do enough, you’re not alone. Aaron Judge initially shared those fears. Barring a few minor changes, the Yankees are almost exactly the same team they were last year. Ryan Weathers is here, and Luke Weaver and Devin Williams are gone, but it’s otherwise a very similar roster. For a while, that didn’t sit right with Judge.
Aaron Judge wanted more from Yankees
Aaron Judge knows his team is close to winning a World Series. They made it in 2024 and then had the same record as the eventual AL champion Toronto Blue Jays in 2025. Obviously, they’re a contender, and a World Series win would be unsurprising.
But also obviously, they’ve fallen short in their last two efforts. Something is missing, and throughout the offseason, Judge wanted the Yankees to go out and add that piece, although the Yankees already spend quite a lot.
“It was brutal,” Judge said via ESPN about the slow offseason. “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.'” Eventually, the Yankees did trade for Ryan Weathers and ensured Cody Bellinger would be back.
“Let’s sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league get better,” Judge said about his mindset. “They’re making trades. They’re signing big prospects or big players. And we’re sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers (back-to-back champs), Blue Jays (defending AL champs), Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets all arguably got significantly better while the Yankees are more or less the same team.
Judge even confirmed that he told the Yankees what he thought, letting them know he wanted more action. Ultimately, the Yankees captain is happy with where they are now. “It was frustrating, but I think we’re right where we need to be,” he said.
Judge’s health will be key
It honestly doesn’t matter what the Yankees do every offseason. Their success largely comes down to whether or not Aaron Judge stays healthy. In 2022, 2024, and 2024, they’ve been one of the best teams in baseball and Judge was the AL MVP all three times.
In 2023, the lone outlier here, they missed the postseason because Judge missed a massive chunk of the season after crashing into an outfield wall to make a catch. Even last year, he missed 10 games with an elbow injury.
“They ran all the checks again and did all the tests and they said, ‘You’re good to go,'” he said. “And I said, ‘All right, when can we start throwing?’ So it was good. It was great. It was great to hear those words so that now I can go into the offseason and just prepare the way I need to be in the best shape to start the year.”
Judge was clearly limited in the outfield after his return, even after DHing for several games. The arm was not 100% last year, and that impacted his defense. One of his greatest assets was his cannon arm, used to throw runners out. That’s no longer a concern.
“Throwing to bases a couple of times already, so no worries,” he said. “Just excited to get back out there and just have the confidence, especially — that was the toughest thing for me last year, was the pitcher’s working his butt off and the guys around me were working their butt off and then the ball was hit to me and I had no shot.”
The Yankees added Ryan Weathers and will get Gerrit Cole back healthy, but ultimately, this team goes as Judge goes.
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