TAMPA, Fla. — With 12 days left until opening day and Aaron Judge’s self-imposed deadline, the Yankees are preparing to make an offer to their slugger and his representatives. After failing to reach an agreement for a one-year contract for this season and potentially heading to arbitration, the Yankees have a very narrow window to try and get into agreement with the face of their franchise.
“Between now and opening day, obviously, we’ve said we’ll make an offer and he’ll obviously receive an offer and all conversations will have taken place and will either resolve into a multi-year deal or won’t,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said Saturday afternoon. “So I’m not going to say when or what it’s going to [be] and keep people updated. Again, I’ll restate what we said before: we will commit, we will make an offer and then hear what he has to say in response and then it’ll be penciled down, obviously. Before opening day. I think we all understand that too.”
The Yankees are looking to lock up Judge on a longer-term extension so that he won’t hit the free-agent market.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old is coming off one of his most complete years in the big leagues.
The three-time All-Star slashed .287/.373/.544 with a .916 OPS, 39 homers and 98 RBIs in 148 games in 2021 According to Baseball Savant, Judge was among the league leaders in average exit velocity (95.8 mph), max exit velo (119) and hard-hit percentage (58.4%). He also led the Yankees in WAR (5.4).
Overall, his six years in the big leagues have been exceptional, averaging .276/.386/.554 and a .940 OPS. He was the 2017 Rookie of the Year, runner-up to Jose Altuve in that same season for MVP and a Home Run Derby champion.
One major league executive suggested a five-year, $185 million deal would be where his team would be comfortable going with a player like Judge.
He used comps from Alex Bregman and George Springer for a contract guideline. Bregman signed a five-year, $100 million extension with the Astros in his age 25 season. Springer signed a six-year, $150 million deal with the Blue Jays.
“Obviously, there’s two parties involved in this and obviously Aaron said that he wants that part of things to end before opening day, so either it is resolved and out of the way or resolved on the opposite end and we’ll do a one year and play it out,” Cashman said. “All I can reassure you is obviously all those conversations will have taken place before opening day and in one way or the other, we know we will know where we stand when the dust settles on whether we’re playing a year out together, or whether we have an extension to discuss.”
The Yankees offered Judge $17 million to try and avoid arbitration, which is less than the Nationals gave Juan Soto, who has two years less experience than Judge. The outfielder countered at $21 million. Because of the lockout and the collective bargaining agreement not being ready until earlier this month, arbitration was pushed back. Offers were made last week and 11 of the Yankees’ 12 arbitration-eligible players agreed to terms.
Judge said he was not surprised they didn’t reach a deal, but was hopeful they would agree to either a one-year deal or an extension before they had to “bring out the boxing gloves,” and fight it out through an arbitrator.
Cashman said that despite the fact that Judge has been the face of the post-Derek Jeter era Yankees, he is not worried about going to arbitration.
“I think we’ve always tried to approach things with as much information and sound reasoning and it takes us where it takes us,” Cashman said. “We will have all engagement with Aaron Judge’s representation between now and opening day and it’ll either resolve on a one year or resolved on a multi-year [deal] so and I don’t even know because this arbitration arena resolves before opening day on one year, it that might go in season, who knows.... so, in the worst-case scenario we’re in a hearing at some point in the season.”
