Yankees staring at a harsh Aaron Judge reality after latest playoff letdown

In his eighth trip to the postseason, Aaron Judge had his best one yet. And still, the potential third-time MVP did not end up with what he cares about the most, and what every great Yankee is ultimately judged by: a World Series championship. Because of that, in the aftermath of the ALDS defeat, one harsh reality in particular lingers around it all: the Yankees are running out of chances to take advantage of Judge’s prime.  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.There is no telling just how long that will last for Judge, who turns 34 in April.

He put together one of the best seasons ever in 2022, when he broke the American League record with 62 home runs.In 2024, he turned in an even better all-around season on the way to his second AL MVP. This year rivaled 2024, with Judge even adding his first batting title as he continues to get better deeper into his career.

But at some point, even for the best of them, that all-world production begins to plateau at the least, if not something worse. So while the franchise’s title drought has reached 16 years, one of the most pressing questions as they enter another critical offseason is whether they will ever be able to capitalize during Judge’s path to the Hall of Fame. “He’s the best that I’ve ever been around,” veteran Paul Goldschmidt said at the end of his 15th year in the big leagues.“He’s also just the greatest teammate I’ve been around, the best leader, cares about this organization and the fans and the people of New York, cares about the people in this locker room. “He just wants to win.

So selfless.I know it’s all cliché, but it’s the truth.

You don’t really know that on the outside looking in.Just thankful for the opportunity to play with him.

But it’s unbelievable what he does.You’re almost shocked on a daily basis.

He’s already, and is going to go down as, one of th...