JUDGE SAYS IT'S ALL BUSINESS WHEN IT COMES TO ARBITRATION

Dressed in more than smart casual business attire, Aaron Judge will head to court with a full suit and tie on Friday with 4 million dollars between the slugger staying a Yankee or moving on. There is no loyalty, really on either side of the game. But one thing there is—money, lots of it and Judge expects his pay day with or without an MVP award.

“It’s all business,” Judge said. “For me, it’s plain and simple: I love this team, I love this organization and everything, but this is a business side of it that I don’t like at times. I don’t think a lot of people like it; I don’t think the team likes it. You have to go through, you handle it and you move on,” reported Bryan Hoch. 

Recall that Judge is expecting more than the seven year, 213.5 million dollar contract extension he was offered just before opening day. The last time the Yankees went to arbitration was 2017 with Dellin Betances and Judge recalls that it was not a pleasant experience.

“He just didn’t like how the process went,” recalled Judge, who was a rookie that spring. “[Betances] kind of mixed personal [feelings] with business. He gave a lot to this organization, and the numbers he put up for quite a few years -- even though he wasn’t a closer, he did a lot of special things. Maybe he thought he should get reciprocated for that, but it didn’t happen,” reported MLB.com.

Source: NJ.com

Judge is putting up big numbers this season, leading MLB in homers heading into Tuesday night's game against the Rays and with a batting average over .300. He has also taken over center field, performing extremely well in the middle outfield position both in agility and with his arm. 

Judge was not in the lineup against the Rays in their second of three games at Tropicana Field. No one wants to see Judge on the IL, and the turf is something that the long outfielder struggles with if he has multiple reps on the surface. Let's hope for two things: 1. Judge gets his money and stays a Yankee and 2. He can stay healthy for an entire season and remain productive. It is all business for Judge and his team. Let's just get the deal done and move on. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof