Aaron Judge Rumors: Yankees Exec Feels More 'Confident' About Ability to Re-Sign Star

One member of the New York Yankees' front office believes Aaron Judge is going to stay put this offseason.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Monday that the club executive is more "confident" than he was in the past as the Bronx Bombers attempt to re-sign the slugger after a career season.

"The belief is that the Yankees will be willing to top Judge's $36 million a year asking price from back in spring," Heyman wrote.

Heyman also noted keeping Judge is "easily" the team's biggest goal of the offseason, which should come as no surprise.

After all, he is the face of the franchise and coming off one of the best seasons in Major League Baseball history. He finished with a .311/.425/.686 slash line, 62 home runs, 131 RBI and 111 walks, leading the league in all those categories except for batting average.

The four-time All-Star will likely add an American League MVP to his resume after setting the record for the most home runs in a season in the history of the Junior Circuit.

The 30-year-old also appeared in a career-best 157 games, which is notable after health issues were something of a concern in the past. He played 112 games in 2018, 102 games in 2019 and just 28 games during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Judge bounced back and played 148 games last season and then further proved he can be a durable cornerstone of the lineup during his record-setting effort in 2022.

New York reached the American League Championship Series but got swept by the Houston Astros, extending its World Series drought to 13 years since it won the 2009 title. Every season is championship-or-bust for the Yankees, but their 2023 chances may be determined in the coming days and weeks with the pursuit of Judge dominating baseball headlines.

If they can't retain him, it will surely take multiple other additions to even begin to make up for his loss.