Yankees Owner Hal Steinbrenner Responds to Aaron Judge's 'All-In' Comments

Few sports franchises carry higher standards than the New York Yankees, so Aaron Judge wasn't satisfied with an early playoff exit.

With a rib injury sidelining Judge, New York's lineup scored just five runs in an ALDS sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays. After the elimination, the Yankees star urged the front office to reload for another World Series push.

"We're the Yankees," Judge said. "I feel like they should go all-in and do what they need to do. If we've got holes, if it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you got to go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here to play with the Yankees. To fight for a championship."

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner addressed Judge's comments during Wednesday's press conference.

"Was I upset about it? No," Steinbrenner said. "If I was a player, I would have expectations that my ownership group would do everything in their power every offseason to field a team that could win a championship. There's nothing wrong with expectations."

Steinbrenner feels the Yankees met that bar last offseason by re-signing All-Star outfielder Cody Bellinger to a five-year, $162 million contract. They went 93-69 and made their ninth postseason appearance in the last decade.

"We did that this year," Steinbrenner insisted. "We had the highest payroll in the history of the organization. We got to a point later in the offseason where we still felt we weren't good enough, so we went out and signed (Cody) Bellinger to a huge contract. Glad we did. He's a good player, so I definitely think we went all-in this season. I definitely think we had a team that was every bit capable of winning a championship. No, it did not work out."

Steinbrenner added that he had a "great conversation" with Judge on Tuesday, but other remarks could be interpreted as a shot at the three-time MVP.

After missing more than three months with a rib injury, Judge returned from the injured list in early September without making a rehab assignment. The 34-year-old went 4-for-23 with 13 strikeouts in seven games before getting sidelined again and missing the playoffs.

"And by the way, I have expectations of my players," Steinbrenner said. "I expect them to obey the rules, to work hard, listen to their coaches and the trainers and the strength guys. Expectations are a good thing. Any relationship in life is a two-way street, and part of that is having expectations of each other. So no, I wasn't bothered by it at all."