7 moves the Yankees must make after embarrassing playoff exit

1. Figure Out if Aaron Judge is the Face of the Franchise

The Yankees really need to think long and hard about Aaron Judge.

For the third straight season, Aaron Judge was limited with injuries that eventually affected his postseason performance in a big way. Yes, he hit three timely home runs in those seven playoff games, but he had four hits total, struck out far too much, and left a ton of runners on base. That can’t be happening with your No. 2 hitter, especially when the manager is refusing to move him down in the lineup.

Also, what’s Judge’s future with this team? He’s under club control through 2022, but at this point, if you view him as the face of the franchise, why hasn’t he been signed to a contract extension? We understand that diagnosing his value is very difficult at this point since he’s been hampered by injuries for much of his career, but waiting doesn’t do anybody good. You put yourself in position to constantly be asked by the media about this and largely leave the future up in the air.

Plus, investing in Judge will be among the most crucial moves within the next year or so. DJLM needs to get paid this year. Gleyber Torres will eventually need an extension. Even Chad Green should be on the radar, because he’s in the same situation as Judge. Starting pitching will always be an eternal need for this team. The longer you wait, the more the price tag goes up, especially if he manages to stay healthy.

On the contrary, however, can you invest a ton of money in somehow who can’t stay on the field? Judge will not be cheap, but it also seems unforgivable to let him walk in free agency if it were to get to that point. This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult situations surrounding a franchise-like player in all of baseball. We wish it were as easy as giving Mike Trout $400 million or forking over $275 million for Nolan Arenado, but it isn’t.

The win-win scenario here would be getting Judge to accept a long-term deal in the $175 million range. He needs to understand that his injury woes are a colossal financial risk that could hamper what the team can do elsewhere in terms of continuing to build a roster around him. On the flip side, Judge will make up for all of that in endorsement deals in the New York market. Perhaps the two sides can work out a deal in which Judge makes a percentage of merchandise sales. Who knows. But something has to be determined this offseason in regards to his future, because this is the biggest domino that has yet to fall.

In a disastrous alternate universe, perhaps he’s traded if the two sides can’t agree to something? Probably not, but everything must be considered in regards to a situation this complicated.

Yankees: 3 players NYY must ditch before 2021 season

The New York Yankees are going to have to ditch some players ahead of the 2021 MLB season. This cannot be the roster entering next year.