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Turning 34 in April, it’s becoming more and more likely that Aaron Judge may join Don Mattingly as the only New York Yankees captains without a World Series ring in the modern era.
Judge is coming off his third MVP season in the last four years but remains without what really matters in Yankees universe: a title.
Well, after Judge’s Yankees were bounced in the American League Division Series last season, they’re running it back with an almost identical team.
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Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees reacts after striking out during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 8, 2025 in New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
At one point, the Yankees offseason looked bleak — or as Judge put it, “brutal.”
“I’m seeing other teams around the league get better. They’re making trades, they’re signing big prospects or big players and we kind of were sitting there for a while, kind of making smaller moves,” Judge said.
“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, get the right pieces to go out there and finish this thing off.”
Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees looks on from the dugout in the first inning during Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025 in New York, New York. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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But after the Yankees re-signed Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Paul Goldschmidt, Judge was content.
“I think once we solidified getting Bellinger back, we got Trent being our center fielder, being our leadoff guy for another year. You add a guy like Goldy, some of the back-end bullpen pieces that we’ve been doing, I think we’ll be in a good spot …” Judge said.
“We’ve got a special group of players here. We’ve got a good core, good young corps. It was frustrating, but I think we’re right where we need to be.”
The Yankees finished with 94 wins and tied for the best record in the American League but lost the tiebreaker to the Toronto Blue Jays, who overpowered them in the ALDS.
Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 30, 2025 in New York, New York. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)
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But the talk in the clubhouse seems to be that they believe the squad is just fine, as the Yankees look to win their first title since 2009.
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