There seems to be no reason for star hitter Aaron Judge to leave the New York Yankees, who have the money to pay to keep their best player. Teammate Anthony Rizzo has also highlighted his importance for the Yankees when he told that the power hitter helped New York win 40 games this season.
But Aaron Judge is also a top priority for the San Francisco Giants, who are ready to splash big to sign him. The LA Dodgers, another cash-rich team, are also interested. However, Brian Cashman understands that Aaron Judge will have a big pot of gold in his new contract and this clearly states his intention to keep him in New York.
Rivals too expect a tough battle from the Yankees if they ever try to snatch away Aaron Judge. “I’d guess he’s a Yankee,” says a rival, echoing what many people think while another hints that the Yankees would have to make a “mistake” to lose a player with this kind of history.
There are also clear benefits for Aaron Judge to stay in pinstripes. He’s on his way to becoming an all-time great Yankee. An all-time Yankee has a big legacy and special rights, such as being able to sell stuff in the future (a la Derek Jeter). Yankees Stadium fits his swing.
Still, there seems to be a real worry among the Yankees about whether or not they can keep Judge. The Yankees think they will be the highest bidder and will start just above his original request of $36 million a year. Just that they don’t know how much he wants to stay.
It’s not because of what they read in the news about the Giants or Dodgers possibly being interested. They know there will be a lot of big teams interested in the AL MVP. It’s just a feeling, and maybe a little fear. Aaron Judge has said in the past that he’d love to be a “lifetime Yankee,” but it could also be that he hasn’t said anything since then.
Aaron Judge has never said anything bad about the Yankees, but people in the clubhouse thought he had a bad taste in his tongue after negotiations in the spring. A source said he didn’t understand why he should make less than Anthony Rendon’s $35 million a year, which turned out to be true, and he thought the $30.5 million a year offer was very low.
Reports that the Giants would pay Judge whatever it took were called “crazy” and “ridiculous” by someone who works for the team. That report may be exaggerated, but the Giants are likely eager to bid. However, Aaron Judge has to play in a ballpark that is not perfect for his swings.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com recently claimed that the Dodgers could go after Aaron Judge. But the Dodgers are more likely to try to get a good shortstop. They also like shorter contracts that pay more per year, but this isn’t likely to win the day.
In the end, though, it seems unlikely that he would leave because he didn’t like an early offer or even because they told him about the offer. He seems too smart to let that be more important than his legacy.
Even though Judge did not play well in the playoffs, the Yankees will do everything they can to keep him even though there will be serious suitors.
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