One could say I am writing this piece because I can't stomach Aaron Judge playing anywhere but New York. When I say, New York, I mean the Bronx. And after I read John Feinstein's piece, "The Yankees and Aaron Judge would be crazy to end their partnership" in The Washington Post on Saturday, I knew that my feelings were not just mine alone. Others like me believe that Judge will stay not because it makes them feel better to say that, but rather because the partnership they have forged is one that can't be broken by money or fame or hurt feelings. Here are three key reasons why Aaron Judge will remain a Yankee for life.
1. The Yankees, well are the Yankees.
They have history and even though they have not won the World Series since 2009 and the days of Boss George Steinbrenner are long gone, the Yankees remain the most successful, most prestigious team in all of sports. As Feinstein states in his article, "Judge is a bright guy. He understands these things, and he understands legacy. It probably explains why he tightened up when he got to 60 home runs with 10 days left in the season and barely surpassed Maris’s single-season AL record of 61 home runs down the stretch."
It is meaningful to break this record as a Yankee. It is meaningful that Roger Maris's family was there to witness it, with Judge's mom, traveling city to city to see history be remade. And Aaron Judge won't find the same kind of home he has had in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Queens for that matter. Sure, I like the Dodgers, but when they left Brooklyn, they vacated their spot in baseball history. It ended as Ebbett's Field went silent. Judge will not be the player he is now anywhere but as a Yankee.
2. Scott Boras nor Casey Close is Aaron Judge's agent.
Need I say more? Two of the biggest deals of the 2022 baseball season saw Boras and Close make a ton of money on Freddie Freeman and Juan Soto. Boras is known to push the envelope, making teams bid against each other, artificially inflating baseball salaries. As Feinstein reminds us, "Boras would tell him to sign with the Kansas City Royals or the Arizona Diamondbacks if they offered $1 more than the Yankees. Someone may offer Judge more than his current employer, but unless the Yankees don’t come to the table with some kind of reasonable offer, he isn’t going anywhere. The Yankees will do what has to be done." Then there is the shady Casey Close who was rumored to have not been completely up front with his client Freeman that the Braves did make an offer to have him remain in Atlanta. Despite some controversy around the claim, the fact remains that if Freeman had a counter offer in front of him, he may have stayed in Atlanta. Judge will likely have many suitors, but if the Yankees are able to meet with him before the free agency bonanza begins as soon as the World Series is over, the partnership needs could be placed clearly on the table—the Yankees need clubhouse leadership and Judge can bring that and more to the Yankees in 2023 and beyond.
3. There's unfinished business in pinstripes.
This goes back the earlier point about the World Series. Judge and his team have unfinished business. The business of the World Series—getting there and winning. "He has been rookie of the year, he is going to be the MVP this year, he hit 62 home runs, and the Yankees have made the postseason in each of his six full seasons. But they haven’t won a World Series. He might go someplace else and win one, but it wouldn’t feel the same as doing it in the place where he grew up as a player and where memories of postseason failures would make a postseason victory that much sweeter," writes Feinstein. I can't agree more.
So things could and likely will get ugly in the weeks and months following the World Series. And as fans, we need to muster up the energy to get through it. But at the end of the day, for all of these reasons, Aaron Judge will remain a Yankee. Not because I feel better saying it but because the wise insights of this article align with what is true about this game and the New York Yankees' place within it.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
There were many great players who never won a world series for some reason,so far Judge is one of those player's and this is unacceptable in Yankee land.
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