According to reports, the New York Yankees have offered Aaron Judge a new contract that would make him the team’s second-highest-paid player.
Aaron Judge is poised to become a free agent in 2022, but the Yankees are taking steps to ensure that he does not become available.
New York made Judge an extended offer last weekend that paid him more than Giancarlo Stanton but less than Gerrit Cole.
According to Jon Heyman of Audacy, who broke the news on MLB Network’s Hot Stove, the extended offer was made.
“They were expected to make an offer,” Heyman added, “and I assume they did last weekend.” “My impression is that they’re willing to spend around $30 million per year, maybe more, but the years are a question, and I believe they won’t want to go near [Mike] Trout and [Mookie] Betts.”
With the Angels, Trout earns $35 million per year, while Betts is under contract with the Dodgers until 2032.
According to Heyman’s reports, the Yankees offered Judge roughly $30 million per year with a six-or seven-year deal in mind.
He’d be the second-highest-paid player in pinstripes if he accepted that deal. Cole’s contract pays him $36 million each year through 2028. Stanton’s current contract pays him $25 million per year and lasts through 2028. In 2022, he’ll get $29 million, but in 2023, he’ll earn $32 million.
Judge will turn 30 at the end of April, so any extension he receives from New York will keep him on the team until he is in his late 30s, alongside Cole and Stanton.
Judge, a three-time All-Star, was a rookie sensation in 2017, hitting 52 home runs in his first season. Since then, he’s become an important member of the clubhouse, and he’s coming off his greatest season in terms of availability and productivity since his breakout debut.
