Cashman: Judge 'placed a bet on himself, and that bet has paid off'

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was mum about Aaron Judge's future on Friday, but he made sure to compliment the outfielder after a historic season while reiterating that he'd love to see the slugger remain in pinstripes.

"I'm not going to comment at this stage on any of it. I'll just restate ... we'd love to keep him, love to have him back," Cashman said, according to YES Network.

"Obviously, he placed a bet on himself, and that bet has paid off. He had an amazing run, continued to add to the back of his baseball card. He's got a lot more game left in him, so we hope that game happens to remain in pinstripes."

Judge is a free agent after a 2022 campaign that included 62 home runs, which set the single-season record by an American League hitter.

The 30-year-old also had 131 RBIs, scored 133 runs, and fell just short of winning a Triple Crown.

All of the slugger's success came after he turned down a seven-year, $213.5-million offer from the Yankees before Opening Day.

Judge is expected to command a more lucrative deal this offseason, and multiple other teams, including the Yankees, have reportedly been eying him.

Cashman, who said he would like to return as Yankees GM next season and has the blessing of Hal Steinbrenner, spoke highly of Judge when asked about why the outfielder deserves a big contract.

"He checks all the boxes. You know, the boxes of: Does he help you win games on the field, first and foremost, and will he do so moving forward," Cashman said.

"He's a fan favorite, he interacts with our fans extremely well, he's respected within that clubhouse, goes about his business as good as you possibly can, and is an elite performer, one of the game's best, if not best, player."