Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation held its annual fundraising gala Wednesday night at the Glasshouse in Manhattan, an event that produced no shortage of headline-worthy soundbites including one from The Captain himself, who had this to say about Aaron Judge’s impending free agency.
“As an athlete, this is what you look forward to, getting an opportunity to be a free agent. Most athletes don’t even reach free agency,” Judge told Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “And then when you actually reach it, you’ve got choices. You make the choice that you think is best for you and your family. But I’m sure it’s probably going to be a difficult one for him, I would assume.”
This is precisely the kind of measured, eminently forgettable response Jeter gives better than anyone, saying a lot and nothing at the same time. Allergic to voicing any opinion that might stir the slightest controversy, Jeter’s neutrality on this particular subject shouldn’t come as any great surprise. Still, it’s notable he didn’t dismiss the notion of Judge leaving, suggesting that whatever decision he arrives at will be the result of weeks, if not months of careful research and consideration, influenced by determining factors such as money, fit, location and, of course, a desire to win as many games as possible.
“You guys know him better than I do. I’ve gotten to know him a little bit more over the last year,” the Yankees lifer said when asked if he had ever considered the possibility of playing elsewhere. “I told him I wasn’t going anywhere. Of course, that’s probably the first thing I told him.”
Jeter was also asked what he thought of Yankees players watching video of the 2004 Boston Red Sox—the only team in MLB postseason history to erase a 3-0 series deficit—as motivation before their game against the Astros Sunday night. The Red Sox’s historic comeback, of course, came at the Yankees’ expense, suffering a collapse that Jeter, in his recent ESPN documentary, would call the greatest disappointment of his career. “I heard about that,” said Jeter. “I still don’t like to talk about it myself. It makes me sick just thinking about it.”
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