The Yankee nation has mixed reactions to Aaron Judge being named Athlete of the Year by Time Magazine

The latest distinction bestowed upon Aaron Judge is a dire proclamation for the Yankees. After setting an American League record with 62 home runs for the Yankees last year, Judge was named the Time Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.

In the Time piece that accompanied it, Judge criticized the Yankees for disclosing the specifics of their failed extension negotiations before the previous campaign. He also provided some rare insight into his thinking on free agency.

"Aaron Judge has been named TIME Magazine's Athlete of the Year" - BRWalkoff

GM Brian Cashman said at a press conference that Judge had declined the Yankees' seven-year, $213 million offer before Opening Day and the deadline for reaching a contract deal.

Judge recalled, "We kind of said, 'Hey, let's keep this between us." I was a little disappointed with the results". Since Aaron Judge became the cover star of Time magazine, fans have now voiced their opinions about the same.

Not everyone was on the same wavelength and there could be a lot of reasons behind the same. First, Judge seems to be on the move and on the brink of leaving the Yankees. Most importantly, New York fell short of making it to the World Series after losing to the eventual winners in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).

It must make Yankees supporters unsure of their chances of re-signing for the 30-year-old. The Yankees had offered Aaron Judge many proposals, according to Cashman, who stated that he was unaware of their chances of keeping him.

Can the Yankees retain Aaron Judge amidst all the chaos?

Tuesday marked the start of the Major League Baseball 2022 Winter Meetings in San Diego, and Aaron Judge is the biggest free agent on the agenda. Although the record-breaking slugger is still unsigned, it appears that both the Yankees and Giants will step up their efforts to sign him this week.

Although Judge is a top free agent prospect, there are still many other All-Stars who are still up for grabs, including Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, and Carlos Rodón.

A recent report said that it appeared as though Judge was joining the Giants. This was later retracted, with the reporter issuing an apology for "jumping the gun." There is talk about Aaron Judge joining the Giants, according to Giants writer Susan Slusser, and it's likely that a decision has been made in the past 30 minutes (at the time of this writing).

Considering that the Yankees have stated they would not be outbid, we shouldn't write them off just yet.

Although the Northern California native has spent his entire seven-year career with the Yankees, he recently had a meeting with the Giants. Before the Winter Meetings end on Wednesday, Judge may sign a new contract.