The New York Yankees are reportedly working on their first contract offer for Aaron Judge, a source in the MLB says.
For a long time, Judge and the Yankees have been linked to a contract extension, but the question has always been how much money this front office would be ready to offer him.
Don’t get me wrong, Judge is a fantastic player when he’s healthy. However, that same thing is the only thing stopping the soon-to-be 30-year-old from getting the money he wants.
Judge appeared in 148 games last season after appearing in only 112, 102, and 28 games in the previous three years. The Yankees are worried for a reason.
What will the Yankees give for Aaron Judge’s contract?
The judge will turn 30 shortly after Opening Day, implying that the length of any such contract, more than the AAV, may be the issue.
According to Heyman, Judge will be the fifth highest-paid outfielder in baseball, after Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, and teammate Giancarlo Stanton, according to Heyman.
Stanton, who is fourth on the list with $325 million, and Christian Yelich, who is fifth with $215 million, are separated by a significant amount. The $110 million disparity, as well as the years involved, will be addressed between the two parties in the end.
The judge would undoubtedly like the contract’s final figures to be closer to those of Stanton, with whom he believes he is similar. Meanwhile, the Yankees might hedge their risks by signing a contract similar to Yelich’s.
In any case, the Yankees aren’t short on cash. This year, they became the first baseball team to be valued at more than $6 billion, according to Forbes. They have the financial means to hire judges, Stanton, and others.
Baseball, on the other hand, is a business, and its owners are notoriously frugal. This could take some time.
