Aaron Judge‘s gamble on himself last winter has paid off. The reigning Most Valuable Player in the American League has signed a nine-year, $360 million deal that will last until he is 39. After turning down a $213 million offer, he went on to have the best season of his life. He hit 62 home runs, which was an American League record, and won the AL MVP award. Now that he’s been a free agent for just over a month, Aaron Judge has signed a contract that gives him two additional years and $145 million more than what he was first offered.
How does Aaron Judge’s contract compare to the other superstar deals in the three biggest American men’s sports? Let’s look at the three biggest contracts in US sports history to get an idea of where he stands and where he might end up.
Aaron Judge third in MLB
Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels has the best contract, worth $426.5 million over 12 years, in the majors. Since the central fielder had his MLB cap in 2011, Trout has been a top player in baseball. The Angels wanted to keep him committed to the team and they signed him for the MLB’s best-ever contract in 2019. He has won three Most Valuable Player awards, including the 2019 award, and nine Silver Sluggers, and has been named an All-Star ten times. All of the money from Trout’s contract is his since all MLB contracts are guaranteed.
Mookie Betts has a deal with the Dodgers for 12 years and $365 million. The right fielder is one of the most exciting and dynamic players in baseball. He has kept getting better, and in his first year in L.A., he helped the team win the 2020 World Series. The Dodgers presented him a big deal just five months after his arrival from the Red Sox.
Aaron Judge’s 9-year, $360 million deal is worth $5 million less than Betts’ overall. However, Aaron Judge will earn $10 million more per year since his contract is three years shorter.
Aaron Judge’s contract is the biggest contract ever given to a free agent in the history of Major League Baseball. It is more than Bryce Harper’s 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies in 2019.
Who has it big in NFL?
Patrick Mahomes, the QB for the Kansas City Chiefs, has a deal worth $450 million over 10 years. The contract is the biggest in the four major U.S. sports and he signed it in July 2020. But NFL contracts aren’t fully guaranteed as the case is in Aaron Judge’s contract. Mahomes is guaranteed to make $141 million, which is about 31% of his contract value. But, unless something crazy happens, he’ll make a lot more than that.
In August 2021, the Buffalo Bills signed QB Josh Allen to a big deal worth $258 million over six years. The Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson has a five-year, $245 million contract that ends in September 2022.
Who leads the NBA deals?
Nikola Jokic got a $272 million, five-year deal from the Denver Nuggets on July 1, 2022. This was after he won two MVP awards in a row. Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards also signed a deal in July 2022 for five years and $251 million. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, also has a contract worth $228.2 million over five years.
The Yankees might have to make hard decisions because of the contracts, including that of Aaron Judge, they have signed. They already owe Aaron Judge, pitcher Gerrit Cole, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, and Aaron Hicks about $105 million per year. The Yankees have a pressing need for someone to help out in the bullpen. Their shortstop problem is far from over and they need a big face there. Many see them going after another starting pitcher. The Yankees will go now in full swing to strengthen the squad, as they have retained their top target Aaron Judge, who is a team leader and a big part of the team’s history. He seems likely to become the team’s captain.
Aaron Judge did everything he could to earn the right to be the highest-paid position player in the sport and to beat Gerrit Cole’s nine-year, $324 million deal, which had been the richest in Yankees history. In the last 10 years, long-term contracts that pay even up to age 38 have become very rare. Mike Trout may be the only other player to have done this without lowering the average annual value. In March 2019, Trout added ten years and $360 million to his deal. In contrast, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, who will always play for the Phillies, agreed to AAVs of $25.4 million and $27.3 million, respectively.
Aaron Judge’s age curve won’t be a problem until another time. If you look at the financial parts of this deal for 2023, it costs the Yankees even more than the $360 million guarantee at the end. Before agreeing to terms with Aaron Judge, New York was about $5.8 million short of the luxury tax threshold, according to Roster Resource. His $40 million a year puts them in the second tier of luxury penalties.
As second-time offenders, the Yankees have to pay a 30% tax on the first $20 million over the luxury tax threshold, and a 42.5% tax on the next $20 million. They’ll have to pay a 75% tax on the next $20 million over the limit, and a 90% tax on every dollar they spend after that. Aaron Judge brings the Yankees’ luxury obligations up to an estimated $267.2 million. This means that if the Yankees ended the season right now, they would have to pay about $12.03 million in fines. That doesn’t seem likely, though, and any more additions will cost a lot in taxes since New York is still $5.8 million short of the third level of penalties and the 75% tax rate. The Yankees are said to be very interested in free agent ace Carlos Rodon, but it’s not clear if Steinbrenner is willing to pay $40 million a year for Aaron Judge and close to or even over $30 million for Rodon.
What do you rank Aaron Judge’s contract in US sports history? Leave your comment below.
[…] performance with Judge on the field to their performance without him, one might even consider his $360 million contract as one of the most astute bargains in baseball […]