It’s safe to say that teammates love New York Yankees star Aaron Judge.
First, it was Nestor Cortes who said that if Judge signs with the Yanks, he should be the team captain because he leads by example.
And now, after the Yankees’ season was ended by the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series, first baseman Anthony Rizzo stated that he believes no one in baseball should make more money than Judge.
“Anthony Rizzo thinks Aaron Judge should be the highest-paid player in baseball: ‘I think that he bet on himself on the biggest stage, in the biggest market, and did it with ease… He’s the new gold standard, in my opinion,'” Rizzo said according to SNY.
Anthony Rizzo thinks Aaron Judge should be the highest-paid player in baseball:
"I think that he bet on himself on the biggest stage, in the biggest market, and did it with ease… He's the new gold standard, in my opinion." pic.twitter.com/8gRxdNPUop
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 24, 2022
While some fans still have the fresh memory of his postseason struggles this year, it’s easy to forget that Judge was the best player in MLB this year.
A Mediocre Postseason Shouldn’t Erase What Judge Did In The Regular Season
He hit .311, he had 62 home runs (a new franchise and American League record), he drove in 131 runs, he played very good defense in right and center field, and he was the highest-ranked player in WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, in MLB with 11.5.
Nobody else even approached 10.
Yes, Judge’s postseason OPS was a meager .490 after he surpassed 1.000 in the regular season, but that sample size is incredibly small and can’t help us draw any conclusions.
What he did in the regular season can.
Judge rejected a $213.5 million contract before the season, betting on himself to produce enough to land much more.
The bet paid off: now, his new deal probably won’t be lower than $300 million, whether it comes with the Yanks or any other team.
Rizzo himself can become a free agent too, if he declines a player option.
It could be a very busy offseason for the Yankees.
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