Judge has some sway, if he wants
Aaron Judge’s influence is nearly as great as his bat. The $360 million man owns the Yankees’ clubhouse in The Bronx and literally played a part in constructing their clubhouse at the spring facility in Tampa, where he advised Hal Steinbrenner on renovations. Judge has had a say in everything from jersey selection to the club’s use of analytical data.
Does he have a vote in the Yankees’ trade-deadline moves, too?
“We’ll keep that in-house,” Judge said Tuesday at Fordham’s Jack Coffey Field, where his All Rise Foundation held a baseball camp with kids in grades 1-8 on the fundamentals of the game.
Judge did not want to divulge whether he has lobbied or will lobby for specific players. The Yankees have several needs, from the bullpen to a third baseman to possibly an outfielder, and it is possible Judge, who does an awful lot for the Yankees, will play scout and general manager, too.
He said he has a “great relationship” with both GM Brian Cashman and Steinbrenner, whose phones will be busy July 30.
“They’ve signed me here to be here for a long time,” Judge said before his Yankees opened the Subway Series in The Bronx with a 3-2 defeat. “And I think all three of us, if you ask all of us, we want to win.
“So I think all of us kind of working together to give our thoughts will make things better.”
The Mets walked Judge four times Tuesday night, but they also struck him out once — when he represented the winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
The Yankees have lost 21 of 31 and are 1 ¹/₂ games back of the Orioles in the AL East, Judge reiterated what has become a common refrain around the club: The bad times can lead to good times.