The New York Yankees are watching the World Series on TV, which is not what they wanted to be doing these days.
They would have loved to be playing in front of a packed Yankee Stadium for the right to win their 28th Fall Classic, but the Houston Astros were too much for them and swept them in the AL Championship Series.
The Yankees are, instead, in offseason mode already.
Their primary task on their to-do list is re-signing Aaron Judge.
The star outfielder will officially be a free agent after the World Series ends.
He turned down a $230 million deal over eight years before the campaign started, betting on himself having an explosive season to have a shot at a larger contract.
That’s very much what happened: in 157 games, Judge established a new American League home run record with 62, and he also slashed an incredible .311/.425/.686 with a 207 wRC+ (100 is considered league average, so yes: he was that good).
Boone Would Love To Have Judge Back
His manager, Aaron Boone, talked to the media on Friday and expressed his desire to have Judge back in the organization on a long-term deal.
“‘Of course I hope he’s back and a Yankee forever. I can’t think of a better guy that you’d want to be leading your team and organization.’ – Aaron Boone on Aaron Judge,” YES Network tweeted with a video.
"Of course I hope he's back and a Yankee forever. I can't think of a better guy that you'd want to be leading your team and organization."
– Aaron Boone on Aaron Judge pic.twitter.com/KmuSCW5BYN
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) November 4, 2022
With the kind of season he just had, Judge could potentially opt for a contract well north of $300 million.
The Yankees absolutely need him back: he carried them in the regular season and hit a couple of postseason home runs even though he wasn’t really productive at that instance.
His impact on the franchise goes beyond the field: several teammates have said Judge is the leader they need for the long term.
The Yankees need to make it happen.
NEXT: Yankees Give Struggling Veteran A Vote Of Confidence