TAMPA — Fans weren’t the only ones begging the Yankees to make a significant move over the winter as rivals improved and Cody Bellinger’s free agency dragged deep into January. Aaron Judge also found himself antsy, admitting Monday that it was “frustrating” to watch his Bombers only make s maller transactions — outside of Trent Grisham’s acceptance of the qualifying offer in November — for the first few months of the offseason. “It was brutal. I’m like, ‘I see a lot of free agents out there,’” Judge said during his first media availability of spring training. “I’m like, ‘Let’s sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces,’ because I’ve seen other teams around the league get better. “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.’” Judge added that he expressed some of his impatience to the front office, voicing his opinion on a few players. That included an endorsement of Bellinger, who agreed to re-sign with the Yankees for a five-year, $162.5 million deal loaded with perks and opt outs on Jan. 21. With their top priority secured, Grisham returning to center field, Paul Goldschmidt recently re-signing for a reserve role, and some supplementary pieces retained or added, Judge ended up happy with the way the Yankees’ offseason concluded. “We’re right where we need to be,” he insisted. Some diehards may disagree, as there’s a segment of the fanbase that isn’t happy with the Yankees’ so-called “run it back” approach – which also saw Ryan Yarbrough, Paul Blackburn and Amed Rosario re-signed – after the team was knocked around by the Blue Jays in the ALDS. But the Yankees, including Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman and multiple players, have endorsed largely maintaining a roster that boasted baseball’s best offense in 2025 and tied Toronto for the American League’s best record despite falling short of a division title. Judge echoed those sentiments on Monday. “I love it. I don’t know, people might have their opinions on [running it back] because we didn’t win it all last year and fell short in the Division Series,” the captain acknowledged, but he’s glad that Bellinger, Grisham and Goldschmidt are still in the fold. Judge is also hoping to see improvement from some younger players — Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe come to mind — and he’s eagerly awaiting Gerrit Cole’s return from Tommy John surgery in the first half after he missed all of last season. “So I’m looking forward to it,” continued Judge, who feels good after dealing with his own elbow issue in 2025. “I like our chances.” In fairness to the Yankees and Cashman, who recently argued “it’s not the same roster,” the team did make some external additions. Starter Ryan Weathers, acquired from the Marlins in mid-January, was the biggest, but he’s still developing and has had a tough time staying healthy. After that, relievers Cade Winquest, the Yankees’ first Rule 5 Draft pick in 14 years, and Angel Chivilli, traded by the Rockies after logging a 7.06 ERA in 2025, were the most notable newcomers acquired over the offseason. Neither are guaranteed spots in an uncertain bullpen that didn’t hang onto Devin Williams and Luke Weaver as part of the “run it back” method. “They took care of business,” Judge said of the Yankees’ offseason. The grind of another long season will determine if that’s true. This will be Judge’s 11th in the majors, and he’s still searching for a championship with his 34th birthday looming in April. He’s won back-to-back MVPs — three overall — and a slew of other accolades, but the trophy that matters most has eluded him for over a decade, and the Yankees since 2009. The thought is front of mind with prep for another campaign already underway “I’ll never be satisfied until we go out there and finish it,” Judge said. “No matter the awards, the MVPs, All-Stars – man, that stuff doesn’t matter. What matters is putting New York back up on top and putting this organization back where it belongs, which is being the best organization in the game. “I’ve got a job to do. I don’t get paid to just play this game. I get paid to win here, so we gotta go out and win.” ...read more read less