Aaron Judge has a clear message to the 28 teams that missed out on the World Series

The 2024 World Series matchup between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers is one that MLB fans either love or hate with no room for anything in between.

Why fans love it is obvious. The teams are stacked with superstars like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Mookie Betts. The teams are popular and historic. The stadiums are iconic. The matchup feels like one featuring the best team in each league.

Why fans don't love it is also obvious. These teams are always successful. They were both expected to be great, so the underdog element is non-existent. Most of all, these teams spent a fortune on their rosters to get to this point, which makes many fans of smaller-market teams jealous (and rightfully so).

Whether you're a fan of this matchup or not, Aaron Judge has a message for the 28 teams that missed out on a World Series appearance.

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Aaron Judge's message for the teams that missed out on the World Series should be heard

During his media availability ahead of Game 1 of the World Series, Judge gave the blueprint for teams to have a chance at winning it all.

Judge believes that these teams are representing their respective leagues in the World Series in part because they were aggressive over the offseason. He is absolutely right.

The Dodgers went out and won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes. They didn't even stop there, adding Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez, and Tyler Glasnow (among others) as well. Overall, the Dodgers spent over $1 billion this offseason adding to a roster that had already won 100 games the season prior. They wouldn't have gotten here without the moves that they made.

Even before the Dodgers made the biggest free agency signing of the winter, the Yankees went out and made the biggest trade of the offseason, acquiring Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. It cost a ton, especially with Soto being a rental, but clearly, it has paid enormous dividends for the Yankees. New York wouldn't have won the AL Pennant without Soto.

Obviously, not every team can afford to give a free agent $700 million or part with a ton of value for what could be a one-year rental, but every team can afford to make moves. The teams that are aggressive and try to improve over the offseason often wind up doing better the following season.

The Kansas City Royals are a prime example of that. They struggled mightily in 2023, made several free agency signings despite being a small market teams, and made a massive jump in the 2024 campaign, bowing out in the ALDS against the Yankees. Bobby Witt Jr. emerging as a legitimate MVP contender helped, but the Royals wouldn't have gotten where they did without players like Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.

Running it back with no moves shouldn't be an option for any team. There's always at least one area where a team can improve. The teams that prioritize making every possible improvement that they can have the best chance of making meaningful improvements. Not all moves are going to work out, obviously, but the more aggressive you are, generally, the more successful you'll be. Hopefully, the teams that missed out on a World Series berth see the kind of improvements that the aggressive teams made and look to follow suit.