Yankees' Aaron Boone Hopes Aaron Judge Plays 'Entire Career' for NYY

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is set to become an unrestricted free agent this winter, and there's a very real possibility he signs elsewhere ahead of the 2023 campaign.

However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said this week that he hopes Judge spends his entire career in pinstripes, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch:

“Hopefully we get to the point where he’s back in pinstripes for his entire career, like I believe it should be. You never know where it’s going to end up. If that comes [and Judge leaves], you’ve got to be able to adapt and adjust and find other ways to get things done. We’ll see how it plays out, but, hopefully, it does work out between Aaron [and the Yankees]. He’s going to win MVP, and you couldn’t have a better person leading your organization from a player standpoint.”

The Yankees have been adamant about retaining Judge and making him a competitive contract offer in free agency. Team president Randy Levine said on The Show podcast in September (h/t ESPN):

"We think Aaron Judge is an all-time Yankee. We think he's a great player, beyond a great player. We think he's a great person. That's why we offered him the highest position player contract in the history of the Yankees.

"I admire him that he went out and took this upon his shoulders and we'll sit down with him and hopefully figure it out. I think there's no question we want him back and no question we value him."

Judge declined a seven-year, $213.5 million offer from the Yankees in April, and he admitted at the time that he was disappointed contract negotiations stalled because he wanted to spend his entire career in the Bronx.

"I'm just disappointed because I've been vocal that I want to be a Yankee for life," Judge told reporters.

However, he added that he was comfortable going to free agency:

"Very few people get this opportunity to talk extension. Me getting this opportunity is something special, and I appreciate the Yankees wanting to do that. But I don't mind going into free agency. It is what it is. At the end of this year, I’ll talk to 30 teams. The Yankees will be one of those teams."

Judge deciding to bet on himself during the 2022 campaign paid off more than anyone could have expected, and the star slugger is set to become one of the highest-paid players in baseball after a historic year.

The 30-year-old slashed .311/.425/.686 with 62 home runs, 131 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 157 regular-season games. He set the American League record for the most home runs in a single season, breaking former Yankee Roger Maris' record.

If Judge signs elsewhere, the Yankees organization is going to have a lot of explaining to do.