Yankees fans haven't seen their team win a World Series since 2009 and are getting impatient, and they don't have any problem letting players know.
The Yankees' season ended this week when the Houston Astros eliminated New York from the American League Championship Series, completing a four-game sweep. New York struggled to generate much of anything offensively throughout the season, often leading to routine booing and jeering from the Yankee faithful. Not even Aaron Judge, the likely AL MVP and free agent-to-be, was spared from the rabid fans.
High standards are nothing new in New York. Late owner George Steinbrenner was notorious for public criticism, and boisterous Tri-Staters have been known to exercise their vocal cords in a less-than-encouraging manner. Yet, the fans (and perhaps the media?) have apparently taken it too far and hurt some feelings ... at least according to a couple of players in pinstripes.
"More than one Yankee player has told his agent this week that playing at the stadium last weekend was an unusually brutal experience," SNY's Andy Martino wrote Wednesday. "It was hard for many teammates to believe that fans booed Judge. Even a difficult person and underperformer like Josh Donaldson was turned into a somewhat sympathetic figure internally by the force of the jeering."
Donaldson, by the way, went 1-for-16 with 10 strikeouts in the ALCS. Judge also went 1-for-16 but did walk once. The Yankees, as a reminder, were swept and won't play in the World Series despite 99 wins, an AL East title and a $265 million payroll.
As part of his reporting, Martino spoke to various rivals and execs.
"One longtime exec texted to say he was struck by the 'irrational opinions on Cashman and Boone. I get that it's World Series or bust but damn they're spoiled,' " Martino relayed.
And here's one more tidbit: "More than I've ever seen," Martino wrote, "players don't want to be Yankees."
How that affects someone like Judge, who is about to enter one of the most notable free agent campaigns of all time, will be fascinating to watch. There's nothing from Martino's writing or reporting that suggests Judge himself feels personally aggrieved by the fan reception in New York. Playoff choke aside, there's a long list of accomplishments that seem to suggest he's more than capable of handling the Bronx heat.
But he'll get to test the market and see what life is like outside of New York. A team like the Dodgers, who are reportedly interested, have just as much money and are just as good if not better. But, LA is a sleepy little hamlet compared to New York, at least as it pertains to baseball.
The bottom line as it pertains to Judge or any other player likely comes down to, well, the bottom line. If the Yankees are willing to give Judge the money he seeks, they should still be the favorite to sign him. The same goes for just about anyone else, honestly.
That being said, these are not George Steinbrenner's Yankees anymore. New York, despite its payroll, doesn't recklessly spend like it used to. So maybe something like fan reception plays a bigger role than ever before.
If that's the case, it could be bad news for the Yankees and their fans.
