Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees captain and three-time AL MVP, missed all three ALDS games against the Tampa Bay Rays with a calf strain. Yet his voice landed harder than any bat in the Bronx lineup this October, after the Rays swept the Yankees 3-0 in a best-of-five series, forcing their exit from the ALDS.

“One or two Yankees bigs were slightly to somewhat annoyed that captain/three time MVP Aaron Judge suggested the $320M Yankees could spend more after they were swept by the Rays in the division series.” Jon Heyman, the New York Post baseball insider, reported in the New York Post.

The frustration is ironic given the fact that the payroll of the New York Yankees was $308.3 million, the third-highest in Major League Baseball after the New York Mets ($346.74 million) and the Los Angeles Dodgers ($339.32 million). The Rays won 98 games and their division on a budget of $95.62 million.

“We’re the Yankees,” Judge told reporters at his postgame press conference after Game 3’s loss. “I feel like (the front office) should go all-in and do what they need to do.”

There was frustration that stemmed from Judge, watching from the dugout with a calf strain, as the offense managed to score five runs across three games. In the 95 games during which he sat out due to injury, the Yankees batted .234, the fifth-worst mark in the league.

“So they give us a winning team every year, but it’s not good enough in New York,” Judge commented in an interview with ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, following the series sweep.

The numbers don’t lie. The Yankees were 93-68 for the season; they dominated the Boston Red Sox 2-0 in the Wild Card round with an 18-2 scoring differential, and they remain 17 years away from their last World Series victory in 2009.

But pitching wasn’t the issue. The Yankees had the most productive pitching staff in the game with a 3.23 ERA, giving up just 601 runs, second-lowest behind only the Dodgers’ 600. Designated hitter Ben Rice hit both of the series’ home runs for Yankees.

But the lineup continued to struggle alongside him. The combination of Jazz Chisholm Jr., the second baseman, Trent Grisham, the center fielder, and Paul Goldschmidt, the first baseman, managed only 0 for 21 against the Rays, which left Rice with little protection in the order.

Right-handed Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen took a no-hitter to the eighth innings in Game 1, the Yankees made four mistakes in Game 2, and fan interference downgraded shortstop Anthony Volpe’s tying homer to a double in Game 3.

“He’s our manager. He’s running the ship,” Judge said when asked about manager Aaron Boone’s future in his postgame press conference. “He puts us in the right position to go out there and succeed.”

Boone needs to be evaluated here. This is Boone’s eighth postseason appearance in nine years without a title, but GM Brian Cashman did not rule out Boone’s future after he lauded the manager. It was the first time that the team swept a five-game series since 1980.

However, the roster is still subject to changes. Along with the players who became free agents like Chisholm, Grisham, and Goldschmidt, Bednar, the team’s closer who saved 35 out of 39 chances, will also be on the free agent list.

However, the real test for Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner will be whether they feel the same pressure as their captain.