MLB insider on Aaron Judge's situation: "All signs point to Aaron Judge remaining with the Yankees"

There are several schools of thought regarding Aaron Judge's contract talks.

The leading theory is that the superstar slugger will play for his favorite childhood team, the San Francisco Giants, in 2023. Some speculate that the Los Angeles Dodgers could be his next destination. Others, however, still cling on to the hope that he won't leave the New York Yankees.

The last of those worldviews is precisely what MLB insider Jeff Passan speculated on in "The Michael Kay Show." The ESPN analyst for MLB stated that Judge might just remain at Yankee Stadium.

"Jeff Passan on TMKS: “All signs point to Aaron Judge remaining with the Yankees.”" - @ Michigan Yankees

Earlier this week, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the front office isn't messing around in bringing back the team's centerpiece. Cashman shared this with the media before embarking on his annual tradition of sleeping out to raise homelessness awareness via the Sleep Out organization.

"From last night: Brian Cashman said the Yankees have made an updated offer to Aaron Judge, who turned down a $213.5 million extension before Opening Day. “It’s in real time, so we’re on the clock,” Cashman said. “We’re certainly not going to mess around.”" - @ Bryan Hoch

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Aaron Judge's favorite player

Former Giants player Rich Aurilia (rightmost)

Growing up in Linden, California, a young Aaron Judge grew up as a fan of the San Francisco Giants. One might assume that, growing up in the late 90s into the early 2000s, Judge's favorite player was either Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, or even "The Terminator" Robb Nen.

However, all those San Francisco Giants All-Stars of the past weren't the ones that the 2022 AL MVP looked up to. It was actually shortstop Rich Aurilia. The Brooklyn, New York-born-and-raised (the irony of Judge idolizing a player who grew up in New York City) Aurilia had two stints with the Giants.

Aurilia started off his MLB career with the team in 1995 and stayed there until 2003. He bounced around teams before ultimately coming back in 2007 and retiring in 2009.

In a 2017 article by NJ.com, Aaron Judge stated that he idolized Aurilia because 35 was his dad's favorite number and it happened to be the jersey worn by Aurillia.

"My dad's favorite number is 35, so as a kid I wore 35 and Rich Aurilia was the shortstop for my favorite team and he wore 35" - Judge via NJ.com

Judge himself didn't wear 35, however, and has adorned the 99 jersey during his time with the Yankees.