Yanks GM on Judge: 'We'll see how this plays out'

NEW YORK -- When it comes to Aaron Judge and his aboriginal with the New York Yankees, mum is the word.

General manager Brian Cashman declined to remark Friday connected whether he's been successful declaration with Judge's representatives connected a caller deal. Cashman, however, did not tiptoe astir the value of Judge to the organization's plans for this offseason and beyond.

"When you marque these commitments connected players, you cognize he's a instrumentality favorite," Cashman said during a quality league astatine Yankee Stadium connected Friday. "He interacts with our fans highly well. He's respected wrong that clubhouse, handles his concern arsenic bully arsenic you perchance can. He's an elite performer -- among the game's best, if not the champion player. With each that being said, those are the types of players you privation to clasp and person arsenic agelong arsenic you perchance can."

Judge's historical 2022 play -- helium deed .311/.425/.686 with an American League-record 62 homers and 131 RBIs -- has the 6-foot-7 slugger successful presumption to person 1 of the biggest contracts successful shot past this offseason.

Cashman said proprietor Hal Steinbrenner volition walk clip gauging the marketplace for Judge this offseason to get a consciousness for what benignant of committedness the squad volition beryllium consenting to marque moving forward. The information that Judge is simply a subordinate that brings fans to the ballpark volition play a relation successful however overmuch wealth the Yankees would beryllium consenting to perpetrate to a semipermanent contract.

"As George Steinbrenner said, helium puts fannies successful the seats." Cashman said. "People privation to spell ticker that feline play, and you privation to enactment large teams connected the tract that they privation to travel present to ticker vie and win. Certain idiosyncratic players transcend the squad and everything stops erstwhile they're astatine the bat oregon they person the shot successful their hand. He's 1 of those types of talents."

Whether oregon not Judge returns to New York volition signifier the full trajectory of the Yankees' offseason. Because signing Judge would correspond the biggest disbursal for the team, the beforehand bureau is readying contingency plans based astir whether the squad tin motion their prima slugger and however they would proceed this offseason if they can't.

"[Judge's] gonna dictate the creation steps to his escaped bureau and he's worked highly hard to gain this position, truthful we'll spot however this plays out," Cashman said. "It tin necktie you up a small spot on the way, but he's not the lone feline that we're needing to woody with. He's the astir important, but if helium came successful present contiguous and said, 'Oh, man, I'm signing up, let's go,' there's inactive a batch of enactment to beryllium done."

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said helium had a speech with Judge successful his bureau astatine the extremity of the play and expressed his appreciation for their narration and however it's grown implicit the years.

"Of people I anticipation he's backmost and a Yankee forever," Boone said. "I can't deliberation of a amended feline that you privation to beryllium starring your squad and starring your organization, and hopefully that each works out. But my conversations with him present are conscionable communicating with him done the wintertime and hoping that it works out. But obviously, that's supra me."

While Steinbrenner committed to Boone returning arsenic manager, questions inactive situation Cashman's aboriginal with the organization. Cashman's declaration expired astatine the extremity of October and helium presently remains an at-will worker of the team. Despite not having a contract, helium continues to determination guardant -- holding readying meetings with the remainder of the beforehand bureau -- and said helium was told by Steinbrenner that determination is involvement successful keeping him with the team.

And portion his aboriginal remains up successful the air, Cashman's absorption remains connected making the Yankees a amended squad for 2023, winning the World Series and shaping the team's plans connected however to bash conscionable that -- with oregon without Judge.

"We got a batch of different ones we request to woody with to enactment ourselves successful a amended presumption to navigate not conscionable the Astros, but each different up-and-comer that's pushing their mode into the premix to correspond the American League successful the World Series adjacent year," Cashman said. "We evidently privation that to beryllium us, but that's thing we haven't been capable to propulsion through.

"Regardless of the acknowledgement that Aaron Judge is specified an important portion here, he's 1 of galore that we anticipation to execute successful antithetic forms and fashions."