Aaron Judge expresses frustration with Yankees' slow offseason

Feb 17, 2026 - 08:00

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Aaron Judge expresses frustration with Yankees' slow offseason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The middle months of the New York Yankees offseason were dead quiet.

General manager Brian Cashman and the company were probably waiting for Cody Bellinger to decide on his future, likely holding the AL East club back from making additional moves.

Like the media and Yankees fans, Aaron Judge noticed a slow pace to the team's winter.

“Early on, it was pretty tough to watch,” the Yankees captain told reporters on Monday. “I’m like, ‘Man, we’re the New York Yankees. Let’s go out there and get the right people, the right pieces to go out there and finish this thing off.’”

"I was like, we're the New York Yankees. Let's go out there and get the right people, get the right pieces to finish this thing off." Aaron Judge says it was frustrating not seeing the Yankees make any big moves early in the offseason. (Via: @SNYYankees)pic.twitter.com/FdfbhKquoJ— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) February 16, 2026

Judge loves challenge of 'running it back'

Bellinger re-signed with New York, and left-hander Ryan Weathers was acquired from the Miami Marlins, but the rest of the Yankees' offseason moves mainly consisted of bringing back last year's regulars and waiver claims.

“I love it,” Judge said about the challenge of "running it back" with nearly an identical roster as 2025. “People might have their opinions on it because we didn’t win it all last year and we fell short in the Division Series, but we get a chance to bring a lot of those guys back – they’re impact players. … I like our chances.”

It's never a good sign when your franchise player voices his frustrations about the front office's lack of spending in the offseason. Even if Judge believes in the roster the Yankees have.