Aaron Judge whiffs on chance to quell Yankees fans’ fear of him leaving at season’s end

Aaron Judge on Tuesday didn’t exactly give New York Yankees fans any hope for his future in the Bronx during an interview hours before the start of the MLB All-Star Game.

Judge spoke with ESPN’s Marly Rivera ahead of the first pitch. Rivera told her a story about a friend she has who has a son named Jacob who was upset over the rumors the Yankees slugger may leave the team following the end of the season. Rivera gave Judge the opportunity to quell the fears.

“Jacob, buddy, we got a lot of great Yankees on this team. There are a lot of great Yankees that’ll be here for a long time so ya know don’t be upset,” he said. “Hopefully, you’ll be a Judge fan for life.”

That wasn’t exactly the answer Yankees fans, young or old, were looking for.

Judge is on a course to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He said Monday he hoped to be in pinstripes for the remainder of his career.

Judge turned down an eight-year contract worth $230.5 million to $234.5 million and was reportedly looking for a nine-year deal worth around $319.6 million. Judge set an arbitrary deadline of opening day — April 8 — and said he wouldn’t talk about the contract until after the season.

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In a feature with Tom Rinaldi for FOX Sports, Judge was asked about how he felt he was doing given that he bet on himself this season. He said he didn’t see it that way.

“I try not to see it as betting on myself. I just try to see it as we tried to work something out and we didn’t. Go out there and do what we can. Nothing was going to change that for me,” Judge said. “I’ve got great friends I’ve made over the years here with the Yankees and so far being the best team in baseball it’s worked out pretty good I think.”

Judge tied Roger Maris’ record for most home runs by a Yankees player at the All-Star break with 33 home runs. Maris set the record in 1961, the same year he hit 61 home runs.