Yankees Would Consider Naming Aaron Judge Captain If He Re-Signs, Steinbrenner Says

The New York Yankees' captaincy has been vacant since Derek Jeter's retirement in 2014, but that could soon change.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner told YES Network he would consider making Aaron Judge a captain if the slugger re-signs with the team this offseason.

There have been only 11 recognized captains in Yankees history. Jeter was the longest-reigning captain in franchise history, earning the "C" in 2003 and keeping it for 12 seasons. Judge would join a list of Yankees legends that includes Jeter, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

“I think I'm able to say that if he's back here next year, he's our captain, he's the next captain,” Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes told reporters last month. “We follow everything he does. He leads by example. He's not really a guy that comes out and screams at anybody. But if he has to, that's his job. I think he's earned that right to keep us in check. What allows him to be so great, I feel like, is he's a great baseball player, but he's a better human. He treats everybody the same. He follows up on everybody every day. That's what allows him to be who he is.”

Judge is coming off one of the greatest power-hitting seasons in MLB history, setting an AL record with 62 home runs and driving in 131 runs. He will almost certainly be named the AL MVP on Thursday, making him the first Yankee to win MVP since Alex Rodriguez in 2007.

Much like Rodriguez 15 years ago, Judge is set to be a free agent following his finest year in pinstripes. Judge declined a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension before the 2022 season and stands to see a nine-figure increase in offers on the open market. There is a strong chance Judge winds up beating the nine-year, $324 million franchise-record contract signed by teammate Gerrit Cole in December 2019.

That said, the Yankees are going to face fierce competition for Judge. The San Francisco Giants, located just two hours away from Judge's hometown of Sacramento, are among the teams expected to have wide-open pocketbooks as free agency ramps up.