Judge after playoff exit: 'I want to be a Yankee for life'
Aaron Judge made it clear following Tuesday's postseason elimination by the Boston Red Sox that he wants to remain with the New York Yankees long term.
"I want to be a Yankee for life," he said postgame on SNY. "I want to wear these pinstripes for the rest of my career, represent this great organization, and bring a championship back to the city."
Judge, 29, has spent all six of his major-league seasons with the Yankees after the club selected him 32nd overall during the 2013 MLB Draft. He has one more year of arbitration before he's slated to hit free agency for the first time ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Despite his desire to remain a member of the Bronx Bombers, he acknowledged that his future with the team is at least partially out of his control.
"You never know what the future holds for you," he said. "That's kind of out of my hands. All I can really do is continue to show up here and continue to try and lead these guys ... whatever happens on the flip side of that with contracts, this and that, getting traded, it's out of my control."
Judge is in a position to be highly sought-after on the open market should the two sides not agree to an extension before next winter. The three-time All-Star hit .287/.373/.544 with 39 home runs and 98 RBIs in 148 games while also posting the lowest strikeout rate of his career this season.
He won the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year award and finished runner-up in MVP voting to Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve that same year.