Court is adjourned.
The courtroom puns will continue, whether or not Aaron Judge is in pinstripes next year. Yankee fans should hope he will be, though.
Coming off a stellar regular season, Judge is entering free agency with bags under his eyes, and bags on his mind. The right fielder carried the Yankee offense for much of 2022 with his Herculean and exhaustive 62-homer campaign. Now, he has an opportunity to make boatloads of cash, whether that's in the Bronx or elsewhere.
It feels like forever ago when Brian Cashman put a damper on Opening Day by telling fans that Judge wouldn't be re-signing with the Yankees. With the Yankees handed a sweep at the hand of the Astros, it'll probably feel like forever until Judge makes the decision on where he'll play in 2023 and beyond.
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Here's the latest on Judge's status with New York:
Is Aaron Judge leaving the Yankees?
Following the Yankees' ALCS Game 4 to the Astros, the 30-year-old slugger made it clear that he's not exactly sure what's coming next for him as he enters free agency for the first time in his career.
Aaron Judge was asked about what could come next for him in his career and if he thought about this being his last home game at Yankee Stadium:
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 24, 2022
"Not at all, not yet. I've got plenty of time to figure that out." pic.twitter.com/rg5LdOwXiv
"Not at all, not yet, not yet," Judge said when asked if he's wondered about what's next. "We got plenty of time to figure that out. …
"Getting a chance to wear the pinstripes and play right field at Yankee Stadium, that's an incredible honor that I definitely didn't take for granted at any point."
It's not the first time that Judge has been coy surrounding his future. During the All-Star break, Judge sidestepped questions surrounding his potential place with the Yankees, trying not to further upset a young fan in the process.
“Are you telling me that Aaron Judge may not be a Yankee after this year?”
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) July 19, 2022
How Judge responded to @MarlyRiveraESPN 👀 pic.twitter.com/uQVhbzyu2r
"Jacob, buddy, we got a lot other great Yankees on this team," Judge said during the break. "We got a lot of great Yankees that'll be here for a long time. Don't get — don't be upset, don't be upset. Hopefully you'll be a Judge fan for life."
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Judge turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million offer from the Yankees before his self-imposed Opening Day deadline, and put a stop on negotiating through the 2022 season. Judge then proceeded to have one of the greatest contract years in the history of professional sports, potentially earning himself the AL MVP in the process.
Safe to say that he's put himself in a much more favorable position entering the offseason.