Aaron Judge was officially named AL MVP on Thursday night, so he can now focus on his free agency. It’s unclear how many teams have reached out to Judge, but the Yankees have made it clear that they want to keep their right fielder. The team’s general manager, Brian Cashman, said Thursday that a new, improved offer has been made to the AL MVP.
Aaron Judge didn’t want to talk about a new contract during the season, so Cashman said the team talked to him about it the day after New York’s season ended. Also, Hal Steinbrenner, the owner of the Yankees, said that he and Judge have talked more than once since the season ended.
“It’s in real time, so we’re on the clock,” Cashman added, “We’re certainly not going to mess around; we’ve made an offer since Spring Training, yes.”
The last known offer from the Yankees was for seven years and $213 million. Aaron Judge famously turned down this deal in Spring Training.
Steinbrenner earlier told, “I’ve made it clear that I want him to be a Yankee for the rest of his life and there’s no doubt about it; he is aware of it.”
The Yankees haven’t been shy about trying to get Aaron Judge to come back to New York, but Judge hasn’t said much about what he wants to do. The right fielder has said in the past that he liked playing for the team, but he was more diplomatic when he talked about his goals during free agency.
During the MVP show, Aaron Judge talked about the most important things he wants from the team he signs with.
“For me, I want to win. I’ve come pretty close with the Yankees. My ultimate, most important thing is I want to be on a team with a winning culture and a commitment to winning. First and foremost, it’s a winning culture and a winning future.”
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