Aaron Judge’s bet on himself paid off in a massive way.
Judge has agreed to return to the New York Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million contract, sources confirmed to ESPN early Wednesday morning, earning the slugger nearly $150 million more than what the organization had offered him in April.
He chose to remain with the ‘Bronx Bombers’ after courting with the San Francisco Giants, the team located about 100 miles from where Judge grew up in California, and the San Diego Padres, who have made it clear they are open for business and making big moves this winter.
The thought of Judge leaving for San Francisco or San Diego gave him the last ounce of leverage he needed to land the highest average annual salary ($40 million) for any player in history, surpassing Mike Trout’s $36 million per year. But Judge had already done the lion’s share of the work in improving his bargaining position with his historic 2022 campaign.
The Yankees had approached him with a seven-year, $213.5 million deal at the conclusion of spring training, and when Judge scoffed at that offer without countering, general manager Brian Cashman, who just received a four-year extension of his own, made the team’s offer public in a press conference. Cashman’s reason for that decision was that the offer would be reported anyway and wanted transparency.
Judge had a different opinion, telling Time Magazine in an interview published Tuesday that he felt the Yankees’ disclosure of the offer was meant to turn the fans and media against him as he moved closer to free agency.
But Judge never expressed those sentiments while the season was unfolding. Rather, he focused on performance and the task at hand. Following a sluggish start that generated some boos at Yankee Stadium, Judge caught fire. After going more than 50 at bat, before hitting his first long ball of the season, Judge hit 12 homers in May and 11 in June, and then he got really hot. In the second half of the season, Judge hit .349 with a .502 on-base percentage and .785 slugging percentage.
As Judge continued to produce after the All-Star break, he all but single-handedly saved the Yankees from one of baseball’s greatest collapses. As the Yankees’ big lead in the American League East nearly dissipated, Judge but the offense on his back with seemingly daily spectacles. For example, in one series against the Toronto Blue Jays, he scored every run.
Judge hit his 60th home run of the season on September 20, tying the legendary Babe Ruth’s 1927 mark, then matched Roger Maris’ AL record with his 61st on September 28 in Toronto. On October 4, Judge eclipsed Maris with a first-inning homer off the Texas Rangers’ Jesus Tinoco.
In November, Judge was voted the American League MVP for a season in which he hit .311 with 133 runs and 131 RBIs.
The Yankees have a long history of playing hardball in contract negotiations, even with their home-grown superstars, from Ruth to Joe DiMaggio to Reggie Jackson to Derek Jeter. But the immense pressure on owner Hal Steinbrenner to sign Judge was perhaps unlike anything he had experienced before, due to Judge’s production and popularity among Yankees fans.
Steinbrenner kept in constant contact with Judge after the Yankees were eliminated in the AL Championship Series by the eventual champion Houston Astros and, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, made an offer of approximately $300 million over eight years early in the offseason.
The Yankees’ uncertainty about Judge’s pending decision only grew. In past talks, including those that took place in the spring, Judge’s side would respond with a simple “no” rather than providing a counteroffer. As Judge met with the Giants and Padres, respectively, the Yankees were uncertain what he would do. Anxiousness grew within the organization to the degree that the front office prepared possible contingency plans, such as a pursuit of a shortstop, possibly Xander Bogaerts.
Judge flew to San Diego on Monday, according to Passan, to meet with the Padres, who had previously made a record-high but unsuccessful offer to Trea Turner. Steinbrenner raised his offer to $360 million, nearly 70% higher than what the Yankees offered just eight months ago, a reflection of Judge’s overall value to the franchise, not just on the field and to the spiking free agent market.
Moving forward, the Yankees might find themselves between a rock and a hard place in making choices shaped by the contractual obligations on their books. They already owe about $105 million annually to Judge, pitcher Gerrit Cole and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, along with long-term deals for DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks. They need to acquire a shortstop, another starting pitcher for their rotation and bullpen help.
But all that might feel a little easier now that they have retained their franchise anchor and clubhouse leader in Judge, who appears to be the heir apparent to Jeter as the team’s next captain.
MLB Network first reported that Judge would re-sign with the Yankees, while The Athletic first reported the terms of the agreement.
