Nestor Cortes Jr. wants 'captain' Aaron Judge to stay with Yankees

Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. wants Aaron Judge to stay with the New York Yankees for more than just on-the-field reasons. 

"I think his best quality is even though he probably knows he’s the leader and everyone follows him, but what gives him that title is he doesn’t make decisions on who he is or what his name is," Cortes told The Athletic's Chris Kirschner for a piece published Thursday. "He likes to test the waters and see what people are feeling about certain things. He wants to know everyone’s opinion on important decisions we have to make. Even with small things like what music gets played. He asks us if we’re OK with the music being played. He’s not like, 'I’m the leader. I’m the captain. F-you guys. I’m playing whatever I want.' He helps diversify the music with the clubhouse we have. He plays Spanish music. He plays Bad Bunny. He plays rap, hip-hop, country. It’s a small thing but it’s those little things that show you who he is.

"Everyone knows what kind of baseball player he is, but the fact that he doesn’t want to step over anybody and make anyone feel like they’re less important than him is what makes him special."

Such high praise from Cortes is nothing new, as he named Judge "our captain" for the 2023 season before the Yankees were swept by the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. 

"We follow everything he does," Cortes said of Judge at that time, per Bryan Hoch of the official MLB website. "He leads by example. He's not really a guy that comes out and screams at anybody. But if he has to, that's his job. I think he's earned that right to keep us in check.

"What allows him to be so great, I feel like, is he's a great baseball player, but he's a better human. He treats everybody the same. He follows up on everybody every day. That's what allows him to be who he is." 

Of course, Judge would have to re-sign with the Yankees to become their next official captain. The presumed AL Most Valuable Player rejected New York's seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension offer before the campaign and remains on track to hit free agency after the World Series wraps up. 

It was reported last week that "there appears to be some real concern within the Yankees' ranks about their chances to keep Judge," and New York outfielder Harrison Bader made it known earlier this week he fears the four-time All-Star selection could make a "business" decision and chase a deal from a different club that potentially could include up to $500 million guaranteed over 10 years.