The reverberations of Aaron Judge’s comments Sunday that this Yankees season had been a “big failure” and that there is “a lot of stuff going on around here that needs to be fixed” were still being felt in The Bronx on Monday.
“You can’t just sit here and say what we did this year is good enough to go into next year,’’ Anthony Rizzo said before the Yankees beat the Diamondbacks, 6-4, in their final home game of 2023.
Like Judge on Sunday, Rizzo, some teammates and Aaron Boone acknowledged there were parts of the team that have to be “fixed” but declined to get into specifics.
Boone said there would be talks about putting the team in a “better position next year.”
“We’re always accountable and we have an expectation around here to be playing next week at this time [in the postseason] and unfortunately, that’s not the case,’’ Boone said. “We’ve got to ask some tough questions and will ask some tough questions and try to fortify ourselves better moving forward.”
The manager also noted that as bad as the team played, they were dealt some misfortune.
Aaron Judge in the dugout during the Yankees’ win over the Diamondbacks on Monday.JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST “I don’t think you can discount injuries,’’ Boone said. “I think, going in, from a starting rotation standpoint, we’d be in a really good spot. It’s been a struggle all year, whether it’s keeping guys healthy, getting guys back or down performances.”
Extended absences by Judge — who missed nearly two months with a torn ligament in his right big toe — and Giancarlo Stanton were also noted.
“But I go back to 2019, when we were decimated with injuries,’’ Boone said. “It doesn’t mean that’s the end-all, be-all. And it’s on us to figure it out when it happens.”
Rizzo said it “starts with the little things.”
“You come in here and say, ‘Why wasn’t this clubhouse good enough?’” Rizzo said. “It’s not like the personalities didn’t mesh. We all got along. There was no divide in here. But over the course of the season, we just didn’t play well enough.
“There’s stuff behind that I think, as we get into the offseason even more, we’ll be able to dissect what didn’t go well.”
The first baseman is among the key offensive players that was doomed by health issues, as he was shut down with post concussion symptoms that he’s just now overcoming.
Aaron Boone argues with the umpires on Monday.JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST He expects to be fully healthy in the offseason and will be ready for a regular spring training.
Rizzo will be among the players the Yankees will look to for a rebound next year.
“There’s no doubt we have to, on some level, count on guys that were missing this year,’’ Boone said. “I don’t think it’s wrong to think we should count on those guys. It’s reasonable to think we’ll get those guys going again. Some guys need to make some changes and adjustments, but there’s also other parts of the roster and team that we have to be able to fortify better. We’ve got to make a lot of really good decisions.”
Beyond Judge, and likely Boone and general manager Brian Cashman, it’s unclear who will have a voice.
DJ LeMahieu is among the veteran players who also are invested in the future.
“There are definitely things that need to be addressed,’’ LeMahieu said. “I just want a reset on the season. I don’t know what the changes are and I don’t know what the direction is, but I am excited about the future, that’s for sure. Some of the younger guys are good and our pitching staff is great. I know we have the pieces.”
Anthony RizzoRobert Sabo for NY Post Those pieces might look different the next time the Yankees play in The Bronx.
“Put it on us players,’’ Rizzo said of the blame for ’23. “We didn’t play well enough as a whole. We didn’t do [well] enough to be competing in October. … It’s gonna be really easy in all the stories written about this and that, pointing fingers here and there, and I’m sure fingers are gonna be pointed. But for me, I personally didn’t do a good enough job of being a leader. Performance-wise, I didn’t play well enough. As a team, a lot of guys didn’t play up to their capability.”
