Have Yankees gone all in? ‘It’s tough to say,’ Aaron Judge says after ALDS exit

As the Rays celebrated on the field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, a few Yankees lingered in the dugout and watched their rival's joy in pain.

Among them were Aaron Judge and George Lombard Jr. The latter seemed distraught over the fact that his first postseason had just ended with a sweep in the ALDS . Still wearing his pinstripes, the rookie Lombard rested his head in his folded arms on the dugout railing.

Judge, meanwhile, stared off at the Rays, hoodie up and a jacket on. Sidelined by a calf strain suffered in mid-September, he never suited up for the Yankees this October.

"It definitely hurts," Judge said. "You want to be out there."

Alas, Judge never got his wish. Now, the next time he sets foot on a field, the Yankees are sure to have a new-look roster, as Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham, David Bednar, Paul Blackburn and Paul Goldschmidt are among the team's free agents. The first two are change of scenery candidates, even though they expressed a desire to return on Wednesday.

Speaking more generally, second base, third base, center field, the bullpen and catcher — a right-handed hitting one is needed — are among the Yankees' question marks as another offseason begins with the extension of a championship drought that has reached 17 years.

Asked how Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner should react to the team's latest letdown, Judge replied, "We're the Yankees. I feel like they should go all in and do what they need to do. If we got holes, it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you gotta go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here to play with the Yankees, to fight for a championship every single year. We go all in. That's what I do every offseason: get ready to give this team and the city everything I got. So I expect them to do the same."

The captain's response begged a follow-up: does he believe the organization has gone all in enough during his 11-year, ringless tenure?

A pause followed. Then an answer that didn't dispel the notion.

"It's tough to say," Judge said. "I want to trade for everybody and sign everybody every single year, but I know that's not realistic. So they give us a winning team every single year, but that's not good enough here in New York. We're the Yankees. You gotta go out there and expect championships and go all in every year, so I'm excited to see what they do."

Judge's comments came after a rinse and repeat season.

After losing the American League East and then the ALDS to the Blue Jays in 2025, the Yankees took a so-called "run it back" approach last offseason and retained a largely similar roster.

This year, they lost the division to the Rays while battling numerous injuries — Judge also missed 99 days with a fractured rib — and were swept by Tampa Bay in the ALDS. The Rays did so despite ranking 27th with a projected luxury tax payroll of $112.9 million, per Cot's Contracts.

The Yankees ranked third with a $341.8 million payroll.

While Judge endorsed the team's "run it back" tactic back in spring training, he didn't seem eager to try it again as the Yankees packed up their clubhouse on Wednesday.

"The toughest thing is each year, besides us, every other team gets better," Judge said. "Every other team's adding new players, getting new coaches, new philosophies, things they can do to improve their team. So it's not like, 'Hey, we're just going to run it back and we'll be in the postseason.'

"We'll start right back here and we'll fix the slate. You gotta start back at 0-0 and work through the grind again against tougher opponents. It's going to be a grind, but it's just about trying to be 1% better than those guys and trying to get 1% better every day in the offseason. Hopefully, we show up and rewrite the script."

Even if the Yankees meet Judge's definition of "all out" this offseason — it's unclear what he wants them to do, or what he wanted them to do differently — the impending free agent class is limited. Two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will be the top prize available, but the Yankees don't necessarily need rotation help. Chisholm could be the most talented position player available after a disappointing year — that's how weak this class is — and he may have worn out his welcome in the Bronx during a down season.

Also complicating matters this winter will be the threat of a lockout, as the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1. It's possible a work stoppage will take another chunk of a season away from Judge.

Now 34, he is running out of time to win a ring. So it's understandable that he didn't waste time nudging the Yankees to make sufficient additions after Wednesday's ALDS exit.

But he also sent a message to those already in the clubhouse before embarking on another premature offseason.

"There's a standard to winning a championship," said Judge, still searching for his first. "It's black and white. There's no gray area. It's every day you show up to work. Every little thing you do is 'Are you working toward a championship or you're not?' So I think that's the biggest thing, is just everybody in the room understanding you gotta bring it every single day, especially here in New York. There's no days off, and it just comes down to the little things and just preparing every single day like you're preparing for a championship game."