Aaron Judge Sparks Buzz With Bold 2026 WBC Dream Amid Yankees’ Playoff Woes

“It eats at me every time we don’t finish the job” – that’s the determined Aaron Judge we know! He has done just about everything. From crushing home runs, making crazy catches, and carrying the New York Yankees on his back, especially last season for a trip to the World Series. But there is still one pending thing and we are not talking about the championship rings.

Surely, the last playoff run in the World Series against LA was a nightmare – 4-2, with the Dodgers enjoying a three-game lead. But apparently, WS is not Judge’s only dream. He is looking forward to suiting up for Team USA.

And that might just happen in 2026!

Aaron Judge, who has never played in the World Baseball Classic, was recently asked if he would ever consider red, white, and blue instead of pinstripes. He chose not to hush the topic but rather left the door wide open. The captain said through Deesha Thosar that he is open to the opportunity when it presents itself.

“I think that’d be pretty fun. It’d be cool to represent your country. Team USA made it to the finals, but they didn’t win it. So we have to win it. We’ll see.” Well, if Aaron Judge is serious and goes for his WBC debut, he could be the guy who brings a wave of American stars with him to bring a change.

Yeah, his 31.2% strikeout rate and 49 at-bat score during the playoffs through Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers might bring doubts about his efficacy. But if someone can turn things around, that’s also Aaron Judge, don’t you think? Because he can identify that he’s lagging: “I’m failing them, not backing them up.” That’s a leader talking there!

And this is exactly why he recovered from his May slump last season and finished with a .322/.458/.701 slash line.

Remembering Team USA’s 2023 WBC performance – they fell short and lost to Japan in a rather dramatic final. But if Judge is there with some of the biggest names in the sport, they can run and win it. Wouldn’t be surprising now, would it?

We did see something similar happen in basketball too. Team USA was shunned in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. But Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James made it their mission to avenge that. They showed up for the last Olympics. And guess what? They brought home gold!

So, what if Judge leads Team USA in 2026 – we might experience the baseball version of the same. Seems like the next WBC is something no one can miss watching.

Team USA: Aaron Judge and other missing stars in 2023 WBC 

So representing your country is the biggest badge of honor, isn’t it? And the 2023 WBC did have a decent enough lineup – Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, and Pete Alonso. But even just scanning through it, you can gather that there were missing names – big names.

So it was not a big surprise that Japan with some of the strongest arms like Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, beat Team USA. What if the missing pieces were added to the USA roster?

Aaron Judge is one of the biggest missing-in-action names from the games. The reason? He simply wanted to focus on his MLB career. The New York Yankees had re-signed him for a huge 9-year deal and also he was the captain. Judge told FOX, “It would be an honor to represent my country. But my main goal is what I can do here in New York and what I can do to bring a championship back here.” But he wasn’t the only strong bat missing.

So was Bryce Harper! But it was not by choice, rather his elbow injury had him in bounds. But even if he was well, there is a reason to believe he wouldn’t have joined in. He doesn’t think that WBC holds much value or significance. He mentioned he would much rather head to the Olympics, to be held in 2028 in LA.

Not just bats, but also pitching was a major area of concern for the team. Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes, Zack Wheeler, and Chris Sale were all absent. Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom also opted out because of health reasons.

Apart from that, Austin Riley, Matt Olson, and Alex Bregman were also missing. So they had slim chances without the top arms, especially when they were facing pitching stars like Shohei Ohtani.

Now the question is whether Aaron Judge can help bring a change and be the torchbearer for others to join him in WBC. Do you think the top stars will?