Yankees secure Aaron Judge on monster contract after Giants up the ante

aaron judge, yankees
Sep 27, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates in the dugout with team mates after scoring against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees have done it, they signed superstar slugger Aaron Judge to a nine-year, $360 million deal coming off a historic 2022 season.

The Yankees had significant competition from the San Francisco Giants, who had upped the ante significantly, driving his price way up into the $300 million range, locking him in at $40 million per season for the next nine years.

Judge will now be under contract until he’s 39 years old, coming off a season where he hit .311 with a 42.5% on-base rate, including 62 homers and 131 RBIs. He is worth every penny owner Hal Steinbrenner was willing to cough up.

The Yankees can now get started on building out the roster post-Aaron Judge:

Nonetheless, the Yankees can now start their off-season after retaining Judge. The team still has interested in starting pitcher Carlos Rodon and need to acquire a new left fielder, which could end up being Andrew Benintendi or Japanese star Masataka Yoshida.

Luckily, the Yankees’ primary needs are still flush with opportunity on the free-agent market. It’s possible they look to acquire Bryan Reynolds of the Pittsburgh Pirates to play left field instead of spending excessively on a free-agent option.

Reynolds is projected to earn just below $7 million this upcoming season and has three years left of control before he hits free agency in 2026. It would require a massive prospects haul to land the OF from Pittsburgh, but the Bombers would have one of the best outfields in the game without question.

Now that Cashman and Judge are locked up on long-term deals, the official off-season can begin, and the rest of the agency will likely move fast. Up to this point, the team has retained Judge and Tommy Kahnle to a two-year deal.