The New York Yankees shouldn't listen to Aaron Judge when it comes to this.

Aaron Judge certainly has a lot of clout within the New York Yankees organization. The front office surely listens to him when it comes to making major decisions, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering he is the face of the franchise.

However, just because Judge is the Yankees' best player does not mean he should get carte blanche when it comes to deciding what New York does with its roster.

Following the Yankees' ALDS exit against the Toronto Blue Jays, Judge was asked about impending free agents Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham, and he offered some candid thoughts on the two outfielders.

"Two guys that had incredible years," Judge said, via ESPN's Jorge Castillo. "It was fun to watch them. Fun to learn from them. And hopefully we can run them back. We'll see what happens."

Now, to be fair, it's not like Judge is coercing the Yanks into bringing back both players. He was simply saying he hopes Bellinger and Grisham could return. But his statement should not hold any weight. At least in terms of the latter.

Bellinger is definitely a player the Yankees should attempt to keep. He posted an .813 OPS with 29 home runs and 98 RBI while playing fantastic outfield defense in 2025. He is a former NL MVP, and while he may not be quite the same player anymore, he obviously remains a valuable weapon who can also play first base.

Grisham, on the other hand, is a very risky bet. Yes, he broke out with 34 homers this season, but his defense has fallen off tremendously since winning a pair of Gold Gloves with the San Diego Padres, and his penchant for striking out (137 punchouts over 581 plate appearances) in a lineup that already features a couple of heavy-strikeout guys in Judge and Giancarlo Stanton isn't ideal.

The 28-year-old was certainly an integral piece of the Yankees' 94-win campaign, but what are the chances of him actually replicating his success?

Grisham batted below .200 in each of his three preceding seasons and owns a lifetime .720 OPS. He had never even hit 20 long balls in a single campaign prior to 2025. Considering he might land a long-term contract worth $15-20 million annually in free agency, New York would be wise to let him walk, especially with Spencer Jones on the come up.

Should the Yanks re-sign Bellinger, they will have an outfield that consists of Judge, Bellinger and Jasson Dominguez, and they seem rather sure to feature Jones on the roster next season. Clearly, there isn't much room for Grisham. Heck, there might not even be room for both Dominguez and Jones.

Judge has obviously formed a rather strong bond with Grisham, but Brian Cashman and the front office need to be practical when it comes to deciding what to do with Grisham in free agency.