New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge carried the Yankees to a 94-68 record last season. They won the AL East and Judge won the AL MVP last season.
Judge played in 158 games, hitting .322 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs. He also stole 10 bases without being caught and posted a .458 on-base percentage. With injuries piling up on the roster, the Yankees will need another heroic season from their captain. But are they too reliant on him?
MLB Analyst Makes Take About Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
In the latest video on “Underdog MLB with Jared Carrabis,” Carrabis discussed how the Boston Red Sox could contend for the AL East title and criticized the Yankees’ lack of depth heading into the 2025 season. He argued the Yankees are not a deep enough team and are a Judge injury away from being a non-playoff unit.
“I believe all of this, the Yankees are not that good. No, they’re really not. Let’s just say, I mean, what did they finish, 82 and 80 the year that Judge went down two years ago?” Carrabis said.
“That was with [Gerrit] Cole and [Giancarlo] Stanton. So you don’t have Cole, you don’t have Stanton, if I said if Aaron Judge doesn’t play 155 games, like, they’re not making the playoffs. Their rotation sucks, [Carlos] Rodón sucks, they don’t want [Marcus] Stroman, they don’t even have a fifth starter.”
The Yankees’ rotation is already a major question mark without Cole and Luis Gil. Losing Stanton in the lineup also hurts. Meanwhile, Juan Soto left in free agency, signing a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets. New York responded by signing Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger — strong additions, but neither is at Judge’s level.
If Judge were to miss significant time, the Yankees could be in danger of falling out of the playoff race. For now, they remain the favorites to win the AL East on DraftKings and are among the top contenders for the World Series, but more injuries could change everything.
If the Yankees falter, the Red Sox or Baltimore Orioles could take the division. There’s also the possibility that opposing teams will pitch around Judge, forcing others in the lineup to step up.
The 2025 season is shaping up to be a pivotal one for the Bronx Bombers.
Every team is in danger of having a bad year when they lose their best players they are more complete team now than they were last year. Hopefully, they can tread water and maybe make a move the deadline.
So losing their 3 best players would hurt the Yankees? Genius!