Aaron Judge Comments on Contract and Future After Yankees' Loss to Astros in ALCS

Aaron Judge's historic 2022 season ended in an embarrassing ALCS sweep at the hands of the Houston Astros, leaving the New York Yankees—and Judge—to head into an offseason rife with uncertainty.

He will be the top name on a loaded free-agent market, but he did not seem remotely ready to deal with his future in the aftermath of Sunday's 6-5 loss.

"That's all going to run through my agent. I haven't even thought about the next step yet," Judge told reporters. "But like I said, we've got time to figure it out."

Judge is almost certainly looking at making over $300 million guaranteed this offseason after turning down a seven-year, $213.5 million offer from the Yankees before the 2022 season. He responded by having perhaps the best contract walk year in MLB history, mashing an AL record 62 home runs and narrowly missing out on the Triple Crown.

There will be no shortage of suitors on the open market, with several teams with open checkbooks coming off disappointing seasons. The San Francisco Giants, located about two hours away from Judge's hometown of Sacramento, have been mentioned often as perhaps the Yankees' most formidable opponent in the upcoming bidding war.

For his part, Judge has largely maintained a desire to stay in New York. The Yankees, in theory, have the deepest financial coffers in baseball. There is no reason—beyond a failing of the front office—for Judge to wind up playing anywhere else moving forward.

"I've been clear about that since I first wore the pinstripes. But we couldn't get something done before spring training," Judge said of his desire to return. "I'm a free agent. We'll see what happens."