Aaron Judge is the home run leader of the best team in baseball. I realize it is still mid-May, but his statistics are outstanding. He has 17 home runs and is batting .325. As I try to keep my mind off the pesky Orioles and the debacle of a weekend against the Chicago White Sox, my mind is occupied by the success of Judge—and what it means for the Yankees to keep him. I can't help but wonder how his surge has led to more and more teams wanting him, driving up his price in the free agent market. Could this be our last season of the Judge's Chambers in right field? Let's take a closer look.
"Before the season Judge somewhat surprisingly rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension that would have taken him through 2029, his age-37 season. It certainly wasn't an unreasonable offer, but Judge deemed it too light, so he's betting on himself and playing out the season. And so far, it could not be going better for him. He's been awesome," reported CBS Sports. Now, we all wanted Judge to take that offer, but his presence and his potential to carry the team demanded more. And he will likely get it but it may not be from the Yankees.
"The Giants have money, they have money to spend and they have a big need for a power-hitting bat in the middle of the lineup. Aaron Judge is from California. Makes all the sense in the world, if not for that team in the Bronx,” Jeff Passan reported via SI.com.
Honestly, it would break my heart see Judge play anywhere but in New York. I watched him grow up in the bigs, often going down to Trenton to watch him as a member of the Double-A Yankee affiliate Trenton Thunder. He was a star there and quickly made his way up to the Bronx. He immediately earned the hearts of many fans with his big smile as he donned number 99 and played catch in right field with a young fan or two who sat behind him in the stands. Of course it has been his home runs that have excited fans the most. Judge brought life back into the Yankees after our beloved Derek Jeter retired in 2014.
It may not be just San Francisco who is wooing Judge for greener grass. The Mets, Red Sox and Dodgers should not be ruled out either. The bottom line is if the Yankees want to keep their star, they will have to pay him, significantly to compete with the free agent market.
"It is likely that Judge will command in a contract in the range of $300 million when he hits free agency this offseason. Whether or not the Yankees are willing to meet that steep asking price for their star right fielder will dictate whether or not they lose him to the Giants, or elsewhere," reported SI.com.
Aaron Judge #99. He is the face of the modern day New York Yankees. He commands the spotlight over anyone else. Losing him would be like losing the heart and soul of this team. It can't happen. And the better he gets this season, the more valuable he becomes on the market. I root for Judge and want him to succeed. I just hope he wants to play in New York more than he wants the money to play somewhere else.
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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