Aaron Judge re-signing with Yankees for $360 million

[Halldan1]

Aaron Judge re-signing with Yankees for $360 million

The free-agent superstar and the Yankees agreed to a nine-year, $360 million contract on Wednesday, keeping the AL MVP in The Bronx for the foreseeable future and possibly the rest of his career.

nypost.com

By Dan Martin and Greg Joyce

Aaron Judge is staying in pinstripes.

The free-agent superstar and the Yankees agreed to a nine-year, $360 million contract on Wednesday, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed, keeping the AL MVP in The Bronx for the foreseeable future and possibly the rest of his career. The Athletic first reported the news.

Judge, 30, took a visit with his hometown Giants during the free-agent process but in the end is staying home instead of going home.

The outfielder turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million offer from the Yankees before Opening Day, betting on himself and winning big. He went on to hit an American League-record 62 home runs, breaking Roger Maris’ record, and flirted with a Triple Crown. He put the Yankees on his back to capture an AL East title and 99 wins.

Heyman reported during the winter meeting the Giants had offered Judge roughly $360 million. It was not enough to pry him away from the only franchise he’s ever known.

The 6-foot-7, 280-pound Judge became the face of the franchise after hitting 52 homers as a rookie with the Yankees in 2017 and only cemented his place with the organization last season, when he broke Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 homers set in 1961.

Judge’s home run chase propelled him to his first AL MVP award, as the baseball world was transfixed on his pursuit of Maris’ mark.

The team’s first-round pick (32nd overall) in 2013 made his debut with the Yankees in 2016.

He wasn’t able to get the Yankees back to the World Series, but did just about everything else, becoming the organization’s brightest star since Derek Jeter.

Judge said after a wild-card loss in Boston that ended the 2021 season he wanted “to be a Yankee for life. I want to wear the pinstripes for the rest of my career. You never know what the future holds for you.”

Aaron Judge hugs Josh Donaldson before Game 3 of the ALCS on Oct. 22, 2022.Getty Images
“I do believe he wants to be a Yankee,’’ managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said last month, when he made it a point to stress how important it would be to retain Judge. “I think we’ve got a good thing going here.”

The Yankees offered Judge a seven-year, $213.5 million extension on Opening Day, but Judge turned it down and was unhappy when general manager Brian Cashman made the details of the contract public.

“We kind of said, ‘Hey, let’s keep this between us,’” Judge told Time Magazine last month. “I was a little upset that the numbers came out. I understand it’s a negotiation tactic. Put pressure on me. Turn the fans against me, turn the media on me. That part of it I didn’t like.”

Judge was able to put those feelings aside, though, in deciding his baseball future.

Hal Steinbrenner had spoken directly with Judge since the season ended, making it clear the Yankees planned to do whatever they could to keep him in pinstripes. The club’s managing general partner then followed through on that, giving Judge a monster contract to avoid a doomsday scenario in which he signed with another team.

 

[SHUHoopsFan]

I hope the money is front loaded. I didn't like when Pujols got a 10 year contract at age 30 and Judge getting a 9 year deal at this age is a lot. At least if the contract is front loaded you may be able to make a baseball move 6-7 years down the road.

 

[cernjSHU]

That’s just ridiculous money for a guy who hits sub .200 in the playoffs. This will be another contract that saddles the Yankees for a decade. Hopefully the Yanks get 4-5 good years out of him.

 

[Harty9]

Current Yankee Hero

 

[cernjSHU]

Current Yankee Hero

Real Yankee heroes get it done in the post season. He’s more Dave Winfield than Reggie Jackson.

 

[PiratePride]

Happy that Judge will remain a Yankee...... I'll try to remember this happy feeling next time I am at Yankee Stadium paying exorbitant prices for ticket, parking and a lousy pretzel and coke.

 

[PiratePride]

Real Yankee heroes get it done in the post season. He’s more Dave Winfield than Reggie Jackson.

I'll give him a pass on this post season, given the stress he was under with the HR chase. That HAD to negatively impact him in the playoffs. Next season... no passes from me.

 

[Gritty5837]

I was largely ambivalent on this but with Stanton and Cole locked up it made more sense to maximize the next 3-4 years of this core.

Now go get Rodon and Nimmo.

 

[hallstorm]

Now go get Rodon and Nimmo

Are you serious? This Yankees?

I don’t think so. They’re not spending another $300 million in contracts

 

[newshu1]

As a Mets fan, whoever gives Nimmo $150M like projected should have head examined

 

[VIPIRATE2010]

yeah paying him 40mil a year is fine, as long as youre cool eating a 45 dollar corn dog and washing it down with a 25 dollar miller light.

 

[jcpetri]

This is why I would NEVER pay to go to a professional sporting event. Salaries are so ridiculously high. I would go if I was invited, but I'd never use my own money to help support their extraordinary salaries...nor would I buy any professional products. But, hey; that's just me.

 

[Hall91]

I have no issue with someone getting paid with the market is willing to pay. Someone was going to give him the money.

But the Yankees need more than Aaron Judge to win a World Series again.

 

[dehere23]

It’s not my money, so as long as the midpoint/tale end doesn’t preclude them from doing other stuff, I’m happy he’s back. I think there were $ considerations beyond on field production that played a role in this too. Marketing, revenue etc. Have read it’s a big reason the Angels won’t deal Ohtani now even though I believe he’s a FA next year.

 

[HALL85]

That’s just ridiculous money for a guy who hits sub .200 in the playoffs. This will be another contract that saddles the Yankees for a decade. Hopefully the Yanks get 4-5 good years out of him.

Basically, he fills the seats for 81 dates and whatever playoff run they got. Without him who is going to pay to watch them play? Hopefully 4 to 5 years of sellouts.

I haven’t been to a game in five years. Just not worth the hassle and essentially driving through what amounts to Kabul to get to the stadium. The ROI is no longer there.

 

[Section112]

If they did not make the horrible move to sign Stanton this move would have been an absolute no brainer and they'd have plenty of money in the past few years to sign a few really good pitchers. The Stanton move was really stupid especially after what they learned from the ARod contract. This contract will not likely be good in years 6-9 and maybe earlier but they had to do it.

 

[Piratz]

These baseball contracts across the league are amazing. Business is good!

 

[Burnsly]

Glad for Judge but not sustainable since their main base is well over 50 & they are doing nothing to address it.
I was listening to ESPN radio this morning when the news broke & they decided to take some calls. Dennis from Delaware was the first caller & he wanted to discuss the Baker Mayfield addition to the Rams. LOL. Manfred could be the worst commissioner in sports by a wide margin. MLB needs another David Stern, quickly.

 

[Gritty5837]

Are you serious? This Yankees?

I don’t think so. They’re not spending another $300 million in contracts

Multiple reporters said they're serious talks w/ Rodon. They supposedly prefer Benintendi in LF which I'm good with.

 

[Halldan1]

Inside Aaron Judge’s 63rd home run and how Hal Steinbrenner closed the deal

Hal Steinbrenner decided he needed Judge for his roster, his television network, his attendance, his marketing and — perhaps most vital of all — for the owner’s reputation against the mounting crit…

nypost.com

Inside Aaron Judge’s 63rd home run and how Hal Steinbrenner closed the deal​

By Joel Sherman

SAN DIEGO — Aaron Judge’s 63rd home run was his negotiating style.

In the spring, Judge turned down seven years at $213.5 million, followed that with an AL-record 62 homers and left for his offseason vacation having scored a nine-year, $360 million contract to stay a Yankee.

Judge’s greatest tape-measure distance — an additional two years and $146.5 million — came via the power of not just, well, power, but self-belief and stoicism.

This began with the Yankees not believing their best player would leave, that he needed them more than they needed him. It ended with them as a Judge supplicant. Their late offers followed a trajectory with which Judge had become familiar — All Rise.

Hal Steinbrenner decided he needed Judge for his roster, his television network, his attendance, his marketing and — perhaps most vital of all — for the owner’s reputation against the mounting criticism and boos.

Judge was all poker face, all the time. He followed the accepted script about wanting to be a lifelong Yankee, but never flinched in his belief about his worth. He made it clear he didn’t like the spring extension offer being made public. He did nothing to dispel stories about his childhood passion for the Giants. He made it clear that free agency brought possibility that he had earned.

And unlike, say, Derek Jeter, Judge talked with other organizations. He engaged the Giants and, at a late moment, the Padres. The Yankees believed the Padres would go to 10 years at $400 million. They believed the Giants would mirror any offer at any time. Most importantly, Judge — whether any of that was true or not — made the Yankees believe he would take an offer elsewhere.

So Steinbrenner, on vacation in Italy, stayed in persistent contact with Judge, who closed the deal after flying to San Diego on Tuesday. The Yankees owner could not imagine his lineup without Judge nor his day-to-day life explaining it.

And that is how this road was transversed:

In the spring, when they perceived they had the upper hand, the Yankees played the incremental game of offering a per-annum salary of $30.5 million that inched above Mookie Betts’ $30.42 million for the second-best among outfielders, well below the $35.54 positional record of Mike Trout that Judge indicated he wanted.

On Dec. 7, 2022, Judge actually agreed to just less than Betts … in terms of his total Dodgers package of $365 million. Judge’s $40 million per is way more than Trout’s annual value. It was a home run for Judge. No. 63. He went from being questioned about the sanity of spurning so much guaranteed money on the brink of the 2022 season to the largest winning bet in the history of the sport. Regardless of what the Padres or Giants were willing to do, Judge got what he wanted — to stay a Yankee on his terms.

What did the Yankees get?

A temporary reprieve. Steinbrenner was booed last season during a Derek Jeter ceremony and looked like Mike Tyson against Buster Douglas — stunned by the punches. The criticism only worsened for the boss and the organization with a disappointing second half and, ultimately, a four-game flameout in the ALCS against the Astros. Judge carried the Yankees in the second half with a 1.286 OPS when the rest of a struggling team managed a combined .652. He was what the crowd cheered (until the ALCS) and what the Yankees marketed around.

That combination felt irreplaceable to the guy who writes the Yankees’ checks. Could the Yankees have tried some combination of, say, Carlos Correa and Brandon Nimmo to replace Judge? Sure. But it would have cost more in the aggregate, and the Yankees knew Judge worked with their team and their fan base.

But that is now. He will play next year beginning at 31, and just how many of the 1,458 regular-season games for which he is signed will Judge play? How many will he play at a star level? Judge gambled on himself, and now the Yankees are betting the generational wealth does not change the motivations of the man. They need Judge to stay as dedicated to his conditioning and his craft as he has been to this date. They need him in good health and as an MVP-caliber player at least until his mid-30s, if not beyond.

These are the Yankees, so there is still enough financial room to pursue more, especially if they really are going to plug the minimum wage-ish Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe into prominent roles. They want a left fielder (a reunion with the lefty contact bat of Andrew Benintendi is their preference) and to add to their rotation (they are attracted to the high-end stuff of Carlos Rodon).

If they believe DJ LeMahieu is healthy — and they might have a better idea of that by next month — then trading Gleyber Torres and/or Isiah Kiner-Falefa becomes more probable as they further try to deepen their pitching in particular.

But they feel now they have kept their key cornerstone in Judge, and that makes it easier to build around in the short term. They will worry about 2030 and 2031 when those years arrive. Those are two seasons the Yankees were not offering in the spring with their extension bid. However, then Judge hit 62 homers and convinced the Yankees he could be going, going, gone.

His 63rd homer was making the Yankees — fittingly — go deep into their wallet, much further than they had once imagined.

 

[Abbo71]

Happy that Judge will remain a Yankee...... I'll try to remember this happy feeling next time I am at Yankee Stadium paying exorbitant prices for ticket, parking and a lousy pretzel and coke.

That does it, Lousy pretzel!!!

 

[Harty9]

Does this make my # 99 Jersey more valuable

 

[Piratz]

Multiple reporters said they're serious talks w/ Rodon. They supposedly prefer Benintendi in LF which I'm good with.

As they should. They need more hitters like Benintendi and LeMahieu. Then need to really look at their organizational development. I understand the postseason is a small sample size in one year, but those small samples sizes are always the same for the Yankees over the longer term.

This approach to offense doesn’t work. I don’t care if someone believes in sacrificing outs or not or small ball or what, the strikeouts and all-for nothing is unacceptable. It’s insane to be so accepting of these strikeout rates IMO. It doesn’t work, which is why they have a .603 mark in the regular season and a .451 in the postseason the past 5 years.

How many more years do you need to watch the same exact season play out?

 

[hbkmyr]

. Manfred could be the worst commissioner in sports by a wide margin. MLB needs another David Stern, quickly.

He’s absolutely destroying the sport.

 

[Burnsly]

Guy from Japan only strikes out 40 times a year so he's not a good fit for the Yanks.

 

[STLPirate12]

Hopefully for the Yankees last year was a turning point in his career and not a contract year outlier, because thus far 2 of his 7 years in the league justify paying top dollar for him.

 

[Halldan1]

Aaron Judge Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More | Baseball-Reference.com

Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Aaron Judge. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[TheHall87]

Manfred could be the worst commissioner in sports by a wide margin. MLB needs another David Stern, quickly.

They've never had a David Stern.

He’s absolutely destroying the sport.

The sport is absolutely awash in money. Revenue is growing drastically and franchise values are appreciating as rapidly.

 

[lloyde dobler]

This is why I would NEVER pay to go to a professional sporting event. Salaries are so ridiculously high. I would go if I was invited, but I'd never use my own money to help support their extraordinary salaries...nor would I buy any professional products. But, hey; that's just me.

If you’re subscribing to cable TV or watching games through any other service, well guess what. I hate to break that bit of news to you. We‘re all suckers.

 

[SHallguy2]

Brilliant negotiating offer 213 million only to pay 360 million. Big Judge fan he is truly the face of the franchise, but hate these long term deals. Now they will baby him, so much money invested we cannot afford for him to get hurt. Yankee investment strategy is pay big dollars and then baby players. Look no further than Cole, guy went deep into lots of games when he was an Astro but now we are happy with 5 innings and 100 pitches. Cole has lost his edge to compete. We will ruin Judge as well, watch him DH more this year.

 

[Halldan1]

What Cole has lost is the ability to pitch without the sticky stuff that has now been banned.

Changed him from a great pitcher to just a very good one.

 

[SHallguy2]

What Cole has lost is the ability to pitch without the sticky stuff that has now been banned.

Changed him from a great pitcher to just a very good one.

That’s definitely part of it too, but they definitely baby him. He makes too much money to get hurt. I’m old school, get lots of above average players that play well as a team. Maybe some guys with speed who hit singles. Boring waiting for a Home run, especially when they don’t come.

 

[Halldan1]

Money is out of control. Now we know why Boston signed the Japanese player yesterday to his monster contract....

Xander Bogaerts agrees to 11-year, $280 million contract with Padres

San Diego agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract with shortstop Xander Bogaerts early Thursday morning, The Post’s Jon Heyman first reported.

nypost.com

Xander Bogaerts agrees to 11-year, $280 million contract with Padres​

By Joseph Staszewski

The Padres are adding another star to a lineup already full of them.

San Diego agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract with shortstop Xander Bogaerts late Wednesday night, The Post’s Jon Heyman first reported. The deal includes a no-trade clause.

The perennial All-Star joins at team that reached the NLCS and already includes Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. – once he has completed his PED suspension.

The Padres had shown they were willing to add another monster contract, having missed on Trea Turner and then on a last ditch effort to sign Aaron Judge. It now leaves the Red Sox with a gaping hole at shortstop with Dansby Swanson and Carlos Correa still available at the top of the market.

The 30-year-old Bogaerts hit .307 in 150 games last season with 15 home runs, 73 RBIs and a .833 OPS for Boston where he won two World Series in 2013 and 2018.

Bogaerts, who’s from Aruba, terminated his $120 million, six-year contract with Boston after the season. The four-time All-Star forfeited salaries of $20 million for each of the next three years.

Bogaerts is a .292 hitter with 156 homers and 683 RBIs in 10 big league seasons — all with Boston. He had his best big league season in 2019, batting .309 with a career-best 33 homers and 117 RBIs. He had 23 homers and 103 RBIs in 2018.

In 44 postseason games, Bogaerts is a .231 hitter with five homers and 16 RBIs.

 

[shu09]

It'll be funny to watch Yankee fans all up in arms next year when Judge hits something like .275 with 35 HR and 100 RBI. Numbers well below what he put up this year. A pretty good year for anyone, but will feel like a letdown. Players always perform in their free agent year. It'll be interesting to see how he backs it up.

 

[Gritty5837]

What Cole has lost is the ability to pitch without the sticky stuff that has now been banned.

Changed him from a great pitcher to just a very good one.

His spin rate is still the same though. If anything I think the argument is the tack gave him a mental edge. His issue this year was not mechanical, he would get flustered after mistakes made by himself or the team and then give up bombs. If you could combine Cole's arm talent with Nestor's grittiness you'd have an all time pitcher.

 

[Gritty5837]

As they should. They need more hitters like Benintendi and LeMahieu. Then need to really look at their organizational development. I understand the postseason is a small sample size in one year, but those small samples sizes are always the same for the Yankees over the longer term.

This approach to offense doesn’t work. I don’t care if someone believes in sacrificing outs or not or small ball or what, the strikeouts and all-for nothing is unacceptable. It’s insane to be so accepting of these strikeout rates IMO. It doesn’t work, which is why they have a .603 mark in the regular season and a .451 in the postseason the past 5 years.

How many more years do you need to watch the same exact season play out?

The organization development stinks but the supposedly fierce NY media says nothing. The Yankees have developed Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge as position players the last 12 years. That is it.

Andujar, Frazier, Sanchez, Bird (bad injury luck), and dozens of other guys that never made it. Torres is an above average 2B but he appears to hit a lower ceiling than originally thought and they still haven't gotten rid of his bad habits.

This is why I'm very apprehensive in the next wave of prospects are going to be good. Basically every positional prospect the Yankees touch goes to shit or cannot sustain success and then declines.

 

[Halldan1]

I have read multiple stories the last two years that his spin rate is indeed lower without the sticky stuff on his hands. Short of seeing or hearing something different I'm not sure I would say the spin rate is the same.

 

[Gritty5837]

I don't have an article on hand but I read the opposite. The stats showed a similar spin rate, basically nothing was wrong or off from when he was in Houston. Just my opinion but I think its more mental with Cole.

 

[Halldan1]

I tried to find one story but almost everything about his spin rate said it has declined, which would make sense without any sticky substance on your fingers.

I guess the question is by how much.

 

[Gritty5837]

I tried to find one story but almost everything about his spin rate said it has declined, which would make sense without any sticky substance on your fingers.

I guess the question is by how much.

Gerrit Cole is perfectly fine, post-sticky stuff controversy

From Pinstripe Alley, the Yankees SB nation fan site.

The answer seems to be in the middle - you are right, his spin rates plateau'd or declined from 2019. Based on their charts he is still top level elite with spin rates.

The answer is probably a lack of tack and also his mental game because according to this info he still has plenty good enough stuff to not let up so many HR's.