Judge Voices Frustration Over Yankees Offseason Pace

In Tampa, Florida, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge voiced frustration over the team's deliberate pace during the offseason, describing it as "brutal" while acknowledging the eventual re-signings that bolstered the roster for the 2026 season.

Judge, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, spoke to reporters on Monday during the first day of full squad workouts at spring training. He highlighted the early inactivity following the Yankees' 94-68 finish in 2025, where they tied for the AL's best record but lost the AL East title on a tiebreaker and fell to the Toronto Blue Jays in the Division Series. "I see a lot of free agents out there," Judge said. "I see a lot of guys like the Bellingers, the Grishams, the Goldschmidts. Let's sign these guys right now and then start adding more pieces because I'm seeing other teams around the league get better. They're making trades. They're signing big players and we were sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves."

The Yankees extended a $22 million qualifying offer to center fielder Trent Grisham in November, which he accepted to return for another year. The team remained quiet for months, becoming the only MLB...