'It'll only be right to win at least one World Series for him': Can Yankees build championship team around Aaron Judge?

NEW YORK -- Twenty-four hours after launching one of the most important home runs of his career, with the kind of power display very few people on Earth could muster, Aaron Judge on Wednesday night continued an October tradition going on a decade. Eight times the New York Yankees have reached the postseason with Judge powering the lineup. And eight times a dejected Judge, with the disappointment still raw, has had to reflect on a season without a World Series title.

"It's what you play for," Judge said after the Yankees' Game 4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series. "You play to win. And when you don't win, it's not a good year."

Individually, from Opening Day through the final postseason out, it was Judge's best year. During the regular season, the reigning AL MVP made a strong case to win the award a third time by leading the major leagues with a .331 batting average -- 20 points better than anyone else -- and mashing 53 home runs with a 1.144 OPS. He followed it with his best playoff showing. Judge went 13-for-26 (.500) with a 1.273 OPS in New York's seven postseason games. He collected seven RBIs, four walks and multiple hits in every game but one.

The year helped cement Judge's place among Yankees greats. He passed Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio on the franchise's all-time home run list into fourth place. He became the fourth player ever with four 50-plus home run seasons. His 53 home runs were the most ever for a batting champion. He set the AL record for intentional walks with 36. This month, he became the sixth player to hit .500 or better in a postseason with at least 20 at-bats. He did it all while playing through a flexor strain in his right elbow that sent him to the injured list in late July.

But a World Series title, the crowning achievement that all of his peers in the Yankees pantheon accomplished, eludes the 6-foot-7 right fielder.

"They'll probably have a statue out there for him eventually," Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodón told ESPN. "And I feel like before it's all over, for him, it'll only be right to win at least one World Series for him. I think his legacy would be pretty set in stone if he won one here."

It is easy to take Judge's greatness for granted. The reality is his peak will not last for much longer. Time catches up to everyone, even the most elite of athletes, and the pressure is on the Yankees to not waste Judge's prime.

"I'm confident we'll break through, and I have been every year, and I believe in so many of the people in that room," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "That hasn't changed. The fire hasn't changed. It's hard to win the World Series. Been chasing it all my life."

ON APRIL 26, a Sunday, Judge will turn 34 years old. The Yankees are scheduled to complete a three-game series against the Astros in Houston that day. How they will look is anyone's guess. Several players will reach free agency the day after the World Series ends. Trading other players is certainly possible. The Yankees' cornerstones will remain in place, but general manager Brian Cashman has important moves to make.

Judge's own status isn't 100% clear. After Wednesday's loss, Judge did not dismiss the possibility of undergoing surgery on his injured elbow. The most drastic option -- Tommy John surgery -- would knock him out for most, if not all, of next season. The likelier option is that Judge will rehab the elbow without a procedure.

The Yankees have reached the postseason in eight of Judge's nine full seasons in the majors. The only miss was 2023, when Judge was out of action for nearly two months with a torn ligament in his right big toe. Giving themselves another chance to crack a 16-year championship drought starts with transactions made in the coming months.

Last winter, after their first World Series appearance in 15 years, the Yankees pivoted when Juan Soto signed with the Mets and built a deeper roster -- one that lasted just a week in October. This offseason, the Yankees are expected to have at least 10 players hit free agency. Those players combined to make nearly $70 million of the Yankees' more than $300 million payroll in 2025.

One person who is expected to return: Boone. The manager signed a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season in February.

"I'm under contract, so I don't expect anything," Boone said.

What can we expect from the rest of the roster?

The starting rotation: This is one group that doesn't need a significant addition.

New York should boast one of the best rotations in the majors next season with Gerrit Cole slated to return from Tommy John surgery sometime during the first half. The projected Opening Day starting five without him is strong: Max Fried, Rodón, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil and Will Warren. Clarke Schmidt, who underwent Tommy John surgery in July, could join the group by the end of the season.

The Yankees have a few prospects who could graduate to the majors at some point in 2026 -- Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz top the list -- and they could add a veteran starter or two for depth after Fried, Rodón, and Warren handled the largest workloads of their careers and Gil didn't resemble the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year upon returning from a lat injury.

The bullpen: The pen is another matter. Right-handers Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Jonathan Loáisiga, whose $5 million team option will be declined, are headed to free agency. Left-hander Tim Hill could join them if the Yankees decline his $3 million club option. The foundation for a strong bullpen is in place with David Bednar at closer, Camilo Doval in a setup role, and Fernando Cruz as an effective fireman, but the group, which struggled throughout 2025, will look different in 2026.

The outfield: Assuming he's ready for the start of the season, Judge will continue locking down right field. Elsewhere, there is uncertainty. Cody Bellinger, who became the team's every-day left fielder at full strength, will opt out of his contract, a source confirmed to ESPN, after an impressive season in the Bronx, and center fielder Trent Grisham will become a free agent for the first time after a career year.

"Two guys that had incredible years," Judge said. "It was fun to watch them. Fun to learn from them. And hopefully we can run them back. We'll see what happens."

The Yankees paying market value for both players to return is a long shot. Jasson Dominguez, who lost regular playing time down the stretch, gives the Yankees a far less expensive option with potential for improvement, but his defense and struggles hitting right-handed against left-handed pitchers were issues in his first full major league season. Prospect Spencer Jones, who hit 35 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A, is another in-house option who could be added to the mix.

The infield: Anthony Volpe has not approached the expectations he carried when he was named the Yankees' Opening Day starting shortstop as a rookie in 2023. The streaky former top prospect has a .662 career OPS that ranks 102nd out of 103 players with at least 1,500 plate appearances since then. His .222 batting average and .283 on-base percentage rank last.

This year, he improved his slugging, but regressed in just about every other category. He was overmatched in the ALDS, going 1-for-15 with 11 strikeouts in the four games. His defense also declined: Two years after winning a Gold Glove, Volpe ranked 11th in defensive runs saved and 17th in outs above average among MLB shortstops this season.

The 24-year-old Volpe, however, played with a small labrum tear in his left shoulder for most of the season and had at least two cortisone shots to treat the pain. After Wednesday's loss, Volpe said he didn't know if he would undergo offseason surgery.

Boone and Cashman continued to adamantly back him this season -- Cashman in September said he still views Volpe as the Yankees' shortstop of the future -- but he lost playing time to Jose Caballero when he struggled in September.

Caballero, acquired at the trade deadline, is the Yankees' other internal option at shortstop. Top prospect George Lombard reached Double-A this season, and isn't part of the equation for 2026.

Veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario are free agents. The 38-year-old Goldschmidt was revered in the Yankees' clubhouse for his professionalism and presence, but a reunion is unlikely; Ben Rice figures to become the every-day first baseman next season. Rosario, who was effective in his role against left-handed pitching, brought a spark and seamlessly fit into the clubhouse after being acquired at the trade deadline. The Yankees could pursue re-signing him to play third base and second base against lefties.

Catcher: Like Volpe, Austin Wells regressed in 2025, his second full season, but the Yankees' more pressing problem was having three left-handed catchers -- Wells, Rice and J.C. Escarra -- on the roster for most of the season and in the postseason. With Rice's likely move to first base, they could bring in a righty to platoon with Wells, who was slightly better against lefties in 2025 but significantly better against righties in 2024. Three-time All-Star J.T. Realmuto, a right-handed hitter, will headline the short list of free agent catchers this winter.

CHANCES ARE THE Yankees will field a playoff contender in 2026. They have not finished below .500 since 1992. They have reached the postseason in 26 of the past 31 years.

But success is measured differently in the Bronx. Winning the World Series is more difficult than ever. The postseason -- now with 12 entrants -- features too much randomness to expect to pop champagne after the final game every year. But dismissing the Yankees' 16-year drought -- the second-longest in franchise history -- as simply the product of bad luck does not square with other teams' successes.

Eight AL teams, including the Yankees, have reached the World Series since 2010. Four have gone that far multiple times: The Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals twice, the Texas Rangers three times, and the Houston Astros four times. Four AL teams have won at least one World Series: The Red Sox (twice), the Royals, the Astros (twice) and the Rangers.

The Yankees are 19-6 against the AL Central, a division with four of the six smallest markets in the AL, and 13-27 against the AL East and AL West in the postseason since Judge's playoff debut in 2017.

Winning the 28th World Series in franchise history will undoubtedly require handling heavyweights in October. The time to accomplish the feat with Judge -- and avoid having him go down as the greatest Yankee never to win a title -- is ticking. Next August will mark the 10th anniversary of his first major league game. He's under contract through 2031, his age-39 season. There are only so many prime Judge years left.

"Every year is different just based on how it goes," Judge said. "But I think the feeling's still the same if you didn't win."