The New York Yankees expressed interest in an extension with outfielder Aaron Judge before the season, respecting the player’s desire of not negotiating during the campaign.
They offered $213.5 million to a former Rookie of the Year, MVP candidate, offensive and defensive star in his prime, fresh off hitting 39 home runs and posting 5.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 2021.
That turned out to be a mistake, and they learned the hard way.
“I’ll always love that Aaron Judge saw the Yankees offer in the off-season, said “nah” and followed it up by: – Making a run at the AL HR record – Making a run at the triple crown – Playing elite defense in CF,” Mike Salvatore, who routinely tweets about the Yankees, wrote.
I'll always love that Aaron Judge saw the Yankees offer in the off-season, said "nah" and followed it up by:
– Making a run at the AL HR record
– Making a run at the triple crown
– Playing elite defense in CF— Mike Salvatore (@MikeSalvatore10) September 12, 2022
An Incredible Season
All Judge has done since then is hit 55 home runs, post a 202 wRC+ (league average is 100, so yeah, that’s good), drive in 121 runs, and even steal 16 bases.
Oh, and he has been magnificent in right and center field, cementing his place as one of the most complete players in the league.
Judge leads MLB in WAR with 9.3, eclipsing his previous career-high by a wide margin.
He has been a problem for opposing pitchers, and the only productive hitter for the Yankees in the second half.
Right now, the Yankees will likely have to start their new offer with at least $300 million just because they didn’t want to increase their offer a bit in spring training.
Oh, and they will have competition now: since Judge is a free agent, other clubs will likely enter the bidding.
The New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers, for example, are eager to talk to the player’s camp.
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