Judge, future uncertain, reflects on 'special time'

NEW YORK -- When Aaron Judge took his past plaything Sunday nighttime -- a grounder for the final retired of the 2022 American League Championship Series -- the biggest question of the Yankees offseason began: Would the presumptive AL MVP beryllium backmost successful pinstripes adjacent year?

After their playoff nemesis Houston Astros enactment an extremity to the Yankees' play with a 6-5-victory to implicit a four-game sweep, Judge's manager and teammates hoped that his tenure successful the South Bronx did not besides scope a conclusion.

"Just an unthinkable season," Aaron Boone said of Judge's 2022 campaign, successful which helium deed 62 location runs to interruption Roger Maris' American League single-season grounds that had stood for 61 years. "Someone that I've grown adjacent with and conscionable respect and respect. And hopefully we'll spot him successful pinstripes for a agelong time. I don't adjacent privation to deliberation astir the alternate close now."

"I'd beryllium existent disappointed if he's not back; large daze if he's not back," offered infielder DJ LeMahieu, who was inactive the full postseason owed to a close ft injury. "But you conscionable ne'er cognize however that goes. I consciousness similar helium decidedly wants to beryllium present but erstwhile it becomes a concern it changes a lot."

Judge volition undoubtedly beryllium 1 of -- if not the -- biggest sanction disposable successful escaped bureau aft declining a seven-year declaration from the Yankees that would person paid $213.5 cardinal from 2023-29 successful the hours earlier opening day.

The All-Star outfielder went connected to person a vocation twelvemonth successful which helium led each of shot successful astir each violative class and surpassed Yankees legends similar Babe Ruth and Roger Maris successful becoming the caller AL location tally king, making him a front-runner for the league's MVP award.

In the aftermath of the expanse by the Astros, Judge said helium had not thought astir his upcoming escaped bureau oregon whether that was his past crippled successful a Yankee uniform.

"That's each going to tally done my agent. I haven't adjacent thought astir the adjacent measurement yet," Judge said. "But similar I said, we've got we got clip to fig it out."

When asked whether helium had spoken to teammates similar Giancarlo Stanton (13-year, $325 cardinal extension) oregon Gerrit Cole (9-year, $324 cardinal free-agent contract) astir immoderate proposal connected his upcoming foray into escaped bureau -- which officially starts the time aft the decision of the World Series -- Judge was speedy to constituent retired that Stanton was not a escaped cause and signed an hold with the Miami Marlins successful 2014, and specified that Cole "had his caput acceptable connected wherever helium wanted to be."

Nonetheless, Judge sounded wistful erstwhile helium took a infinitesimal to picture his six-year vocation successful pinstripes.

"Getting the accidental to deterioration the pinstripes and play close tract astatine Yankee Stadium, it's an unthinkable grant that I decidedly didn't instrumentality for granted astatine immoderate point," helium said. "I ever checked myself pregame, erstwhile I'd accidental a small prayer, I'd benignant of look astir the stadium and benignant of pinch myself that there's precise fewer individuals that get a accidental to tally retired connected that tract and bash that and play successful beforehand of the fans that enactment america passim my full six years here. It was a peculiar time. I conscionable footwear myself for not bringing location that title for them."

But Judge did person a insignificant gaffe of the lingua erstwhile addressing the spread betwixt the Yankees and Astros, who earned a berth successful the World Series for the 4th clip successful the past six seasons. Judge utilized the word "we" for the Yankees yet getting implicit their postseason hurdle, having mislaid to Houston 3 times successful the past six league title series.

"This is ne'er fun, but I deliberation it'll decidedly make, erstwhile we yet get determination and unafraid this thing, it'll marque it a batch sweeter, going done the pugnacious times similar this, that's for sure," Judge said.

And portion Judge expressed erstwhile again his tendency to proceed wearing the Yankee uniform, helium reiterated his escaped cause status.

"I've been wide astir that since I archetypal wore the pinstripes. But we couldn't get thing done earlier outpouring training," helium said. "I'm a escaped agent. We'll spot what happens."