The Yankees have not hid the fact that they want Aaron Judge back in pinstripes next season, and their latest contract offer to the superstar slugger reflected that feeling.
General manager Brian Cashman revealed two weeks back that the Yankees had given Judge an updated offer and according to a report from ESPN it was sizable. The Yanks have tabled an offer ” in the neighborhood of eight years and $300 million and could increase it” if the market deems it necessary, according to the new report.
The deal would make Judge one of the highest-paid position players in Major League Baseball and surpass the previous high that Mike Trout set with his contract’s average annual value of $35.5 million. It should come as no surprise that the price tag on Judge is so high considering the season he had.
Only a handful of teams are realistically able to afford the superstar’s services. Both ESPN and SNY’s Andy Martino also indicated that a decision on Judge’s future could come by the conclusion of the Winter Meetings, which run from Sunday to Wednesday.
Judge met with the San Francisco Giants last week and they are expected to be one of the Yankees’ chief rivals in vying for Judge. However, the Yankees have insisted that money won’t be an issue in bringing back Judge, who has spent his entire career in the Bronx.
For more on the Yankees, visit AMNY.com
“We have plenty of ability to — and Aaron and I talked about this — to make this happen and still have money to make other things happen,” Hal Steinbrenner told NJ.com at the Owner’s Meetings earlier this month. “My budget for Judge is going to be what I feel we can do. … It’s not limitless, obviously. But am I going to make moves before we’re able to — in my opinion, we’re going to be able to sign Aaron. That’s not going to stop me from signing other people.”
Judge had rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million before the start of the season and hedged his bets that he would be able to play his way to a better offer. What happened was a historic year for Judge that saw him break Roger Maris’ American League home run record, compete for the Triple Crown and win the AL MVP honors.
