![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-16T201735Z_1422427359_MT1USATODAY28253565_RTRMADP_3_MLB-NEW-YORK-YANKEES-WORKOUTS.jpg\" "\\"Aaron")
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Feb 16, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) watches batting practice during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Aaron Judge was not thrilled with how the offseason started for his New York Yankees, then had to sit idly by for nearly three months while a notable move failed to materialize.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
It finally came in January when the club reunited with outfielder Cody Bellinger, but the $200 million the Yankees spent this winter all came on internal free agents \u2014 Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt, the notable others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was brutal,\u201d Judge said. \u201cI see a lot of free agents out there, I see a lot of guys like the Bellingers, the Grishams, the Goldschmidts. Let\u2019s sign these guys right now and then start adding more pieces. I\u2019m seeing other teams around the league getting better. They\u2019re making trades, they\u2019re signing big prospects or big players, and we kind of were sitting there for a while, kind of making smaller moves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judge even admitted that he went to general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees\u2019 front office to make those feelings known, adding that they \u201ctook care of business.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
This sort of business is not what the \u201cYankee way\u201d had been for so long. After whiffing on Juan Soto last winter, the inactive start to the winter \u2014 which only featured Grisham accepting a $22 million qualifying offer \u2014 was coupled with owner Hal Steinbrenner saying he would like to spend less money on payroll.<\/p>\n
It was not until Jan. 21 that Bellinger was brought back on a five-year, $162.5 million deal.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly on, it was pretty tough to watch,\u201d Judge said. \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Man, we\u2019re the New York Yankees, let\u2019s go out there and get the right people, get the right pieces to go out there and finish this thing off.\u2019 We got a special group of players here, we got a good core, good young core. So it was frustrating, but I think we\u2019re right where we need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
In reality, the Yankees have brought back what was the American League\u2019s best offense from 2025, and Judge is at the middle of it all, coming off two straight MVPs<\/a>. But it is not the easiest sell that Cashman brought back 24 of the 26 players featured on the team\u2019s ALDS roster, where they were taken care of with relative ease by the Toronto Blue Jays.\u00a0<\/p>\n The belief is that a rotation that will eventually feature a healthy Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon alongside Max Fried and Cam Schlittler will be one of the best in baseball, as well.\n<\/p>\n \u201cI love it. People might have their opinions on it because we didn\u2019t win it all last year, we fell short in the division series,\u201d Judge said. \u201cBut we get a chance to bring a lot of those guys back, they\u2019re impact players. You bring back a guy ike Cody Bellinger, who can play all over the diamond, he can hit in the middle of the order for you, he can come up with a big base hit when he needs to. You bring back Paul Goldschmidt, who\u2019s been an MVP\u2026 he elevates, especially the younger group we have, especially in the infield\u2026 he\u2019s been there and done it. I\u2019m excited\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThen you get to add Cole down the road a little bit with some other guys. I like our chances.\u201d\n<\/p>\n