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The New York Yankees are out of the playoffs after falling to the Houston Astros again in the ALCS. The Yankees had another strong season but came up short of the goal of reaching their first World Series since 2009. AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge entered the season as a pending free agent and the Yanks were unable to get a deal done before 2022. Judge didn’t negotiate throughout the year and hit 62 HRs to break the AL record. He’s set for a big payday but will it be from the Bronx Bombers or another team? We take a look as the offseason begins for New York.
Aaron Judge free agency rumors
Update, Oct. 25 — According to a vague report from NJ.com, the Giants are going to make a play for Judge in free agency. We’ve sort of known about this all along. Judge is from Northern California, so it gets him close to home. The Giants are looking to make a big addition to get back into contender status. San Fran also has a pretty gaping hole in right field Judge could fill. Per NJ.com’s report, the Giants won’t be outbid by anyone. So it’ll come down to where Judge wants to be.
The latest reports are already saying Judge is expected to remain with the Yankees after his MVP season. The Yankees had offered him a seven-year contract worth north of $200 million, around $213.5, per GM Brian Cashman. Judge turned down the offer and went into the season settling for a one-year, $19 million deal in arbitration.
There’s really no reason for the Yankees to let Judge walk. Clearly it isn’t an issue with money but rather years. The Yankees offered Judge around $30 million per season, which would be around second in the MLB behind Mike Trout and close to Mookie Betts. Chances are Judge will land a bit above Betts and under Trout, though we’ll see. The Yankees final offer was eight years at $234 million, which would make Judge the second-highest paid player in the League.