Michael Kay's comments on Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm feel like Yankees disservice

For many fans, Michael Kay is the voice of the New York Yankees. As the club's primary play-by-play man, he is the soundtrack to the games, and the opinions he provides on his radio show are typically colored by some inside information he's gathered from his proximity to the team.

Kay can sound like a mouthpiece for the organization at times. He was one of the first to predict a restrained offseason, and when it became clear that New York was essentially running it back, his take sounded like Brian Cashman had written the notes up for him personally.

But sometimes, the takes he serves up on ESPN Radio come out of the oven a little too hot. And that's what we saw the other day when he took aim directly at Yankees stars Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Michael Kay's shots at Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. feel like manufactured Yankees drama

When Judge said what every Yankees fan was thinking about how the offseason transpired, it wasn't necessarily a critique of the club. His lengthy statement might have been a little hard to follow, but he summed it up nicely at the end.

"But early on, it was pretty tough to watch. I'm like, 'man, we're the New York Yankees, let's go out there and get the right people, get the right pieces to go out there and finish this thing off. We've got a special group of players here. We've got a good core, good young core. It was frustrating, but I think we're right where we need to be," the three-time MVP said.

We don't disagree, and part of the issue was how the Yankees beat around the bush with Cody Bellinger before ultimately caving to most of his and Scott Boras's demands. At the end of the day, Judge wanted to get the band back together, specifically mentioning Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt as players he wanted to see return. He just wasn't a fan of the suspense.

In response, Kay unloaded. "The problem is, with Judge saying 'I was getting frustrated, everybody else is doing things,' but you wanted Bellinger back. And as long as you wanted Bellinger back, they were landlocked to do anything else. They're not going to have a $400 million payroll, although their payroll is about $345 million, so it's $20 million more than last year. On top of that, a luxury tax."

Kay would go on to chastise those who bring up the Dodgers as a reason why the Yankees could spend more. It was the kind of response that seemed like the team was defending itself, but the defense came against an attack that didn't exist.

Judge wasn't complaining that the club didn't spend enough. He wasn't complaining that he didn't get enough help and wasn't aggressive early on. An argument certainly could be made that they haven't done enough to maximize his prime, but that wasn't what he was saying. All he was doing was pointing out how hard it was to wait around for these moves to be made, but since they've happened, he's happy.

This wasn't the first time the Yankees have had a slow-developing offseason, and typically, when they move at a glacial pace, it's because they're trying to sign a player for a bargain only to ultimately cave later on. It's a valid criticism, and it's reasonable to think that if New York moved with more conviction early on, it would find more advantageous opportunities later in the process.

Judge wasn't the only Yankee to take the brunt of Kay's ire. Jazz Chisholm Jr. kicked off camp by saying that his goal was to put up a 50-50 season. When he was told that Shohei Ohtani is the only member of that club, his response was, "You're looking at the second one."

The rarified air of a 50-50 season isn't all that's on Chisholm Jr.'s to-do list. He's also got AL MVP, a Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove on the agenda for 2026. Unrealistic? Sure. Brash? That's Jazz. Fun? We think so. But Kay disagreed.

Responding to a caller who called Chisholm Jr. a "me first" player, Kay replied, "Of all the sports, the one sport that is most conducive to having a selfish player is baseball. If Jazz goes 50/50, that helps the Yankees.”

That seems more than a little off base. Some fans don't like how outspoken Chisholm Jr. is. Players behaving that way isn't as common as it is in the NFL or NBA, and is even less common for a buttoned-up organization like the Yankees.

However, that sort of attitude more or less exemplifies the New York experience. It's a little ironic that a club has blasted Frank Sinatra's "(Theme from) New York, New York" which includes the line, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere," for years after games, that anyone would take issue with a player having supreme self-confidence.

It also doesn't look at reality. Chisholm Jr. moved off his natural second base for the good of the team. Twice. The second time was to accommodate the shell formerly known as DJ LeMahieu shortly before the veteran was mercifully DFA'd. Does that sound like a selfish player?

At the end of the day, Kay stoking outrage over these benign comments is typical shock jock behavior. We should be enjoying the talents that Judge and Chisholm Jr. are, and we should look at their comments as they were intended. They're a message that the two are in it to win it, while also serving as an acknowledgment of the fan experience from the frustrating (the offseason) to the exhilarating (how we'd all feel if Jazz accomplishes his goal).