Alex Rodriguez thinks that the New York Yankees could have done a lot more with the Aaron Judge situation. A-Rod had several big contracts during his career, including a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Rangers and a 10-year, $275 million deal with the Yankees. The Yankees should heed his advice, which fans also share.
A-Rod thinks that the team could have handled Aaron Judge in a very different way. He thinks it’s strange that the team took so long to agree on a player, who they knew would be important to the team.
“If they could have a mulligan, they would sign him when he was 25, get him to 35 and call it a day. They backed themselves into a corner,” Alex Rodriguez told on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
It was clear that New York had to do everything possible to get Aaron Judge back. If the organization had lost him, it would have been a disaster. Alex Rodriguez said that the team knew early on what it had in Aaron Judge. They should have done what the Atlanta Braves did and signed him when he was still young. This would have kept them from having to pay the premium that they did, claimed A-Rod.
An ESPN press release quoted A-Rod saying:
“I just think Aaron Judge really taught a masterclass on how to go about your last year, how to negotiate, how to keep everything nice and tight … When you zoom out, I think you have to look at this a little more analytically. We have learned nothing about Aaron Judge over the last 12 months, at least the fans of New York. I mean, he is top-shelf character, great talent, Madison Avenue worthy. And at the end of the day, if Brian Cashman and that front office would have handled Aaron Judge like the Atlanta Braves, could have signed him 3 or 4 years ago for $100 million, and then take that delta of $260 million, and bring in complementary players around Aaron Judge to help the Yankees land a title.”
As cited by Alex Rodriguez, the Braves have done a great job of helping their young players get better. Last season, they gave big contracts to rookies Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider. Last season, both players made their first appearances for Atlanta and made a big difference for the team.
A-Rod wished the Yankees were more like the Braves and this off-season would have saved them a lot of money. They could have used that money to bring in key players and build around Judge.
A-Rod has all praise for Aaron Judge’s “masterclass”
Alex Rodriguez was especially impressed by how the reigning AL MVP handled his season after rejecting a $213 million contract and off-season negotiations. Even though the whole world was watching him as he broke the record for most home runs in a single season, the lights never bothered him, according to A-Rod.
Aaron Judge’s season could not have gone any better. During the last year of his contract, he couldn’t have played any better. Judge went out and showed everyone how important he is as a baseball player.
A-Rod admires him as one of the best players in the world and feels that the Yankees are lucky to have him. He considers the slugger a great role model who has top-notch skills, especially at the plate.
Now that Aaron Judge doesn’t have to worry about a contract, it will be interesting to see how well he does next season.
Do you agree with A-Rod’s take on the Yankees’ handling of Aaron Judge contract talks? Leave your comment below.
