Aaron Judge reacts during a press conference after being named captain at Yankee Stadium. Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Judge is back with the New York Yankees, and he wants to use his return to bring one legend closer to the organization.

Judge revealed Wednesday that he spoke to Hall-of-Fame shortstop Derek Jeter periodically as he was going through the free agency process. 

Once Judge had agreed to return to the Yankees, he said he had reached out to Jeter to ask what he could do to get the former shortstop involved in the organization again.

To be clear, there are no bad feelings between Jeter and the Yankees. Jeter just opted to head in a different direction after his retirement in 2014, most notably running the Miami Marlins, which ultimately did not work out. He has since been linked to a gig that he seems pretty unlikely to accept.

Still, credit to Judge for being proactive and trying to foster closer ties between Jeter and the Yankees. 

No wonder the team saw fit to give him a huge honor that will allow him to follow in Jeter’s footsteps.

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