Judge, Yankees agree to 9-year, $360M deal (source)

MLB

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SAN DIEGO — All Rise! Aaron Judge is keeping his Yankees pinstripes, the Judge’s Chambers will remain open for business and the captaincy could be on deck.

The American League’s Most Valuable Player has agreed to a nine-year, $360 million deal with the Yankees, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Wednesday. The contract, which is pending a physical, has not been confirmed by the club.

It would be the largest contract awarded to a free agent in Major League history, surpassing Bryce Harper’s 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies in 2019. Judge flew to San Diego on Tuesday to decide, selecting the Yankees over competitive offers from the Giants and the Padres, who were a surprise late entry to the bidding.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner prioritized retaining Judge, meeting with the slugger face to face on at least one occasion in Tampa, Fla., where he told him that he and his family hoped Judge remained “a Yankee for life.” Steinbrenner has also said naming Judge as the Yankees’ first captain since Derek Jeter will be on the table.

“Certainly, we’d love to have our player back — we’d love to call him our player every step of the way as he follows what looks like a career path right to Cooperstown,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

The Yankees’ confidence in retaining their biggest star could not have been helped by a TIME article published on Tuesday. In it, Judge commented on his displeasure with the April 8 news conference that saw Cashman volunteer Judge’s decision to turn down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension days prior.

“We kind of said, ‘Hey, let’s keep this between us,’” Judge told the magazine. “I was a little upset that the numbers came out. I understand it’s a negotiation tactic. Put pressure on me. Turn the fans against me, turn the media on me. That part of it I didn’t like.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that Judge discussed the topic in a closed-door meeting held in the manager’s office the night of the Yankees’ season-ending AL Championship Series loss to the Astros.

“I knew that he was a little disappointed about that,” Boone said. “We talked at length that night. I don’t think it was intended to be a tactic or anything like that. We knew it was going to be constantly speculated on and out there. We kind of wanted to run to the situation. I don’t think it’s a factor in anything going on.”

There was some panic in the hallways of the Grand Hyatt around mid-day on Tuesday, when an erroneous report suggested that Judge seemed to be ready to choose the Giants. Boone had just exited the shower and, half-dressed, called Cashman to ask what had happened. When Cashman replied, “Nothing,” Boone exhaled and hurried to the Yankees’ suite.

“I feel like he certainly belongs in pinstripes,” Boone said. “A guy of his stature and his greatness, hopefully he spends his entire career [in New York], goes into Monument Park and into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee. That would be the hope.”

Judge was in an enviable position as he entered free agency for the first time, having exceeded all expectations after turning down the extension before the season. It was, as Cashman called it, “the all-time best bet.” Judge responded with a season for the ages, batting .311/.425/.686 in 157 games while leading the Majors in homers (62), runs (133), RBIs (131), slugging percentage, on-base percentage, OPS+ (211) and total bases (391).

Judge’s chase to shatter Roger Maris’ 61-year-old AL record for home runs in a single season captivated the sports world for weeks, culminating with a 62nd home run in the second game of an Oct. 4 doubleheader at Texas. Judge is the fourth player in AL/NL history to hit 62 or more homers in a single season, joining Barry Bonds (73 in 2001), Mark McGwire (70 in 1998 and 65 in ’99) and Sammy Sosa (66 in 1998, 64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999).

“Whatever he gets is going to be astronomical, and he deserves it,” said first baseman Anthony Rizzo. “He bet on himself on the biggest stage, in the biggest market, and did it with ease. He should be rewarded as the highest-paid player in the game. He’s the new gold standard, in my opinion.”

Yet the postseason did not go well for Judge, and Boone suggested that the home run chase may have been a factor. In nine postseason games, Judge hit .139 (5-for-36) with two homers and three RBIs. He was 1-for-16 in Houston’s four-game ALCS sweep. After the Yankees’ postseason elimination, Judge was asked if he still hoped to stay in New York.

“I’ve been clear about that since I first wore the pinstripes,” Judge said that night. “But we couldn’t get something done before Spring Training, and now I’m a free agent. We’ll see what happens.”

A product of Linden, Calif., who grew up rooting for the San Francisco Giants (his favorite player was not Bonds, but infielder Rich Aurilia), Judge has spent his entire career to date in Yankees pinstripes, having been selected in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft from Fresno State University in California.

The 6-foot-7, 282-pound slugger homered in his first big league at-bat in August 2016, then went on to be named the unanimous AL Rookie of the Year and runner-up for the AL’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2017, helping lead the Bombers to the postseason with a 52-homer performance in his first full season.

Judge, who will turn 31 in April, has quieted critics who wondered about his durability. Injuries limited Judge to 242 of a possible 384 games from 2018-20 (63%) before he played in 148 and 157 games over the next two seasons, respectively.

His 11.99 AB/HR ratio is third best in Major League history, behind only McGwire (10.61) and Babe Ruth (11.76). A four-time AL All-Star (’17, ’18, ’21 and ’22), Judge won Silver Slugger Awards in 2017, ’21 and ‘22, and before winning the AL MVP Award in ‘22, he received MVP votes in ’17, ’18 and ’21.

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