Aaron Judge made that clear before the 2021 season ended at the MLB : you want a contract extension with New York Yankees
“I want to be a Yankee for life,” he said. Judge to USA Today. “I want to wear this striped uniform for the rest of my career and represent this great organization and bring a championship back to town.”
The message to the owners is direct, the question is if the slugger and the New York high command are in tune.
For some time there has been talk of the possibility that the star of the Big leagues received an extension. However, his tendency to injury did not make this possible.
This season, Judge stayed healthy and played in 148 games, his most since 2018. He also posted his best numbers in the past four seasons with career-highs in batting average (.287) and 158 hits; in addition to his second-most home runs (39) and RBIs (98).
The 29-year-old outfielder has one year of arbitration eligibility left before he can be a free agent in 2023 and Joel Sherman believes his market value is on the order of 5 years and $ 189 million.
‘Getting Aaron Judge to agree to extension is possible, but it won’t be easy for Yankees’ by @ Joelsherman1 for @nypostsports: The thought exercise… ($) https://t.co/nvYgFSPm7o #Yankees pic.twitter.com/AZirY9iwgY
– New York BBWAA (@NYBBWAA) October 9, 2021
The moment of truth is near. This winter it will be known if the Yankees have future plans with Judge or if they will consider other options.
With his history of injuries and approaching 30 years of age, it will not be easy for Judge to see his wish fulfilled. However, it is something New York can consider. Especially after this season in which he was the mainstay of the offense (he led the club in homers, RBIs, average, OBP, SLugging, OPS and WAR) and the leader of the dugout. They’ve taken bigger risks before, so they should offer Judge the extension now.