Judge ready for 'ultimate goal' with Yanks

NEW YORK -- Aaron Judge expects the Yankees to be active participants in the free-agent marketplace this offseason, supplementing their roster of core players for another crack at a title in 2021.

“I think we’re going to be adding a couple of guys free agent-wise to our team,” Judge said. “They’re going to help give us that boost to get to the next step. Every year I’ve played, we’ve been in the playoffs and had an OK run here and there, but it’s not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to bring a championship back home to New York.”

Judge spoke on Thursday as part of an online meet-and-greet with Fanatics.com. The Yankees’ first order of business could be to retain a few familiar faces; infielder DJ LeMahieu is expected to decline the qualifying offer, while right-hander Masahiro Tanaka is already a free agent, as are left-handers J.A. Happ and James Paxton.

As the Yankees aim to reinforce their chances of fighting for a championship, the open market features numerous enticing stars. The list of top talent includes catcher J.T. Realmuto, right-hander Trevor Bauer, right-hander Marcus Stroman, shortstop Marcus Semien and shortstop Didi Gregorius.

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Judge said he also sees promise in the Yankees’ up-and-coming crop of talent. Seven players made their Major League debuts this year: right-handers Albert Abreu, Deivi García, Brooks Kriske, Nick Nelson, Clarke Schmidt and Miguel Yajure, plus outfielder Estevan Florial.

“That was a crazy thing about 2020, is we got a chance to call on some rookies that normally might not have been called up, might not have made it to the big leagues,” Judge said. “With the guys we’ve got in our farm system … the next couple of years, we’re going to be doing something special in New York.”

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Judge batted .257/.336/.554 with nine homers and 22 RBIs in 28 games this past season, a campaign cut short by a right calf strain that necessitated two stints on the injured list.

The 28-year-old Judge said he is “feeling great” going into the winter months. That is a luxury he did not enjoy last year, when Judge was dealing with an injury that was later diagnosed to be a fractured right rib.

“I'm finally going to have a good offseason; no injuries going into the end of the year,” Judge said. “That's one thing that always makes it tough; when the playoffs come around, if you’ve got injuries, you put those aside and just play through it. So this year, having nothing going into the end of the year has been great. I'll have a good offseason, stay healthy and play a full year -- not only next year, but for many years to come. I'm looking forward to that.”