Aaron Judge tested the Yankees' commitment and won
For the Yankees, it was always this simple: keep Aaron Judge in pinstripes no matter the price, no matter the competition and no matter the challenge. As an organization, the Yankees are constantly testing the mettle of every staff member who walks through the Bronx. Now it was Judge's turn to test the Yankees — and in the process, make them sweat. It was Hal Steinbrenner's time to show his own mettle and use that financial might to secure the American League's single-season home run king and, most importantly, the face of the Yankees franchise.
Judge's long-anticipated decision to remain a Yankee arrived after a kooky and antsy 24 hours that injected a heavy dose of doubt into Yankeeland. The tweet that broke the internet sparked the frenzy; Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported around 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday that Judge appeared headed to the San Francisco Giants.
For at least an extended moment, Yankees fans experienced what that reported decision felt like. Judge to the Giants? No more towering home runs? No more dreams of Judge being named the next Yankee captain? No more No. 99 jerseys infiltrating the stadium? All of it was heartbreaking for the Yankees, who knew that losing Judge to the Giants, or any team, represented their worst-case scenario. So yeah, the Yankees were sweating.
Then came the brief exhalation. Moments after the tweet that sent shockwaves in the baseball community, Heyman doubled back. He deleted his original "Judge appears headed to the Giants" tweet and said he jumped the gun. The Giants, apparently, had not yet heard from Judge. No deal was official, nor was it complete. Reports began trickling in that the Yankees were still in on Judge. But, for several hours on Tuesday night, the prospect of Judge leaving became a serious possibility.
Of course, the false alarm meant there was still time for Steinbrenner and the Yankees to avoid that worst-case scenario. It would take a stronger offer, perhaps another year tacked on to the contract and an aggressive push to keep Judge in pinstripes. Judge knew who he was dealing with. With 27 championships and a penchant for signing superstars, the Yankees have no absence of resources. They are MLB's most valuable franchise at $6 billion, according to a March 2022 Forbes report.
Late Tuesday night, Judge reportedly told Steinbrenner that he had received higher offers from other teams. The Juan Soto-led San Diego Padres had also joined the bidding war. Steinbrenner, knowing he could not again experience what it felt like to momentarily lose Judge, stepped up. The final contract that got Judge to back off from other offers was set at $360 million across nine years. It wasn't necessarily the highest offer Judge received, but it was the one that got the outfielder to stay in New York, where he will soar to new heights for the better part of the next decade.
Aaron Judge commits to the Yankees for a $360M deal
That $360 million deal represents the largest yearly figure ($40 million) for position players in the history of MLB. Judge's average annual value tops Mike Trout's contract extension with the Los Angeles Angels, a deal he signed in 2019 worth $426.5 million across 12 years for an AAV of $35.5 million. Before Judge's whopping contract, the previous record for the largest free-agent deal in MLB belonged to Bryce Harper, who signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019.
Not only did Judge know who he was dealing with as far as squeezing the most juice out of the Yankees' proverbial bank account, he was also forced to consider what all he would be walking away from. Last month, Steinbrenner broadcasted his plan to name Judge the Yankees captain if the free agent signed and remained with the team. It was yet another tactic to lure Judge to stay in the Bronx, but it also showed Steinbrenner's willingness to fight for the leader of the Yankees clubhouse. As far as testing mettle, Steinbrenner appeared ready for the bidding war that would ensue.
Ah, but Judge wasn't done making the Yankees sweat. A well-timed interview with Time Magazine was released on Tuesday, in which Judge detailed his irritation with the Yankees, a significant part of this saga where New York rubbed the 6-foot-7 outfielder the wrong way. Back in April, the Yankees discussed a contract extension with Judge in an attempt to avoid the star slugger becoming a free agent. Judge turned down the Yankees' offer, and he believed both sides had an understanding to keep those numbers private. Then, Yankees GM Brian Cashman "blindsided" Judge, according to the Time article, by revealing the club's offer: $213.5 million across seven years.
"We kind of said, Hey, let's keep this between us," Judge said in the Time article. "I was a little upset that the numbers came out. I understand it's a negotiation tactic. Put pressure on me. Turn the fans against me, turn the media on me. That part of it I didn't like."
Judge is a private person, a smart athlete and a classy individual. He wouldn't discuss that upsetting contract situation, the details of which were conveniently revealed just as multiple reports of Judge choosing the Giants had begun to surface, if he didn't want to send the Yankees a message. Make ‘em sweat. Make the Yankees, an organization used to standing on the highest and most powerful podium in MLB, look weak.
In the 24 hours before he agreed to that record-breaking $360 million contract, Judge forced the Yankees to imagine what they would be without him. The picture Judge painted, by pushing Steinbrenner to the limit and making him work hard, showed that Judge was in control the whole time. From the moment Judge rejected the Yankees' contract extension, to Cashman's cheap-shot reveal of that offer, to Judge betting on himself and making history by crushing 62 home runs, to being named the AL MVP, to entering free agency, to playing with the Yankees' feelings and showing them what it's like to feel upset and blindsided the same way he did, to ultimately signing the largest free-agent contract in the history of the sport, Judge held the influence over the most powerful franchise in MLB.
Judge tested Steinbrenner and the Yankees. He made them sweat. The owner showed his mettle. And now the two sides will enjoy the next nine years together. It was a free-agent signing and scramble like no other, with huge implications and plenty of twists of turns. In the end, Aaron Judge and the Yankees deserve each other. The goals are set. The expectations are sky high. The world is watching for what this sly superstar and the New York Yankees can accomplish together.
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Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
