Rocio Robles
The New York Yankees and star outfielder Aaron Judge have run out of time, as we’ve reached the first game of the season for the team and there was no agreement on a contract extension that would persuade the 29-year-old. However, it does not mean that the organization led by Brian Cashman has not made an offer to its franchise player: in fact, the offer exists and the latest reports indicate that Judge himself rejected it.
Cashman himself gave statements about the seven-year, $213.5 million contract that was proposed to the power hitter, which would have made him the second-highest paid outfielder in MLB, only surpassed by Mike Trout.
”We’re all disappointed right now about the fact that we can’t talk about a contract extension deal today, but that doesn’t stop us from talking about it in the near future, hopefully. I still think Aaron Judge wants to be here.”
Brian Cashman, general manager of the New York Yankees.
Cashman declined to elaborate on how far the latest offer would have been from the Yankees regarding what Judge wants, but all indications are that the outfielder is seeking at least a nine-year pact and a salary higher than the $30.5 million average annual salary New York offered him in its last proposal. Judge’s current salary is also unknown, and the arbitration hearing is set to take place in June, but Brian Cashman said he ”wants to avoid it” if possible.
Of all the salary cases that will go to arbitration this major league season, the one of Aaron Judge with the Yankees represents the one with the biggest difference between them (with Judge asking for $21 million vs the $17 million New York offered him for 2022). This could also serve as a reference for the possible salary dispute they have about the final number of their contract extension.
If a deal is not agreed upon during the season, Judge will enter free agency for the first time in his career during the 2023 pre-season; any other team could offer him more or less than the amount given by the Yankees. At almost 30 years of age and with only two seasons over 140 games played, this is undoubtedly a high-risk move for the Bronx Bombers’ star player, as he has never been able to play a full season and his injuries are recurrent in every season in which he participates.
Judge would be 31 years old in the first year of the new contract he is seeking, a factor that has kept the Yankees firm in their offer and is likely to keep other teams firm as well. Freddie Freeman, 32, signed a six-year, $162 million deal a month ago with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team with the largest budget in the Major Leagues. We have to take into account that Freeman plays first base, a position that poses much less of an injury risk than outfield.
Will Aaron Judge get the contract he wants with the Yankees or with another team in free agency? Or will he regret turning down the last offer from the team he’s been with his entire career?
