Yankees need to rule in favor of extending Aaron Judge
Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge signs autographs before a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, April 2, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. Credit: AP
Since the moment when Gleyber Torres hit a fly ball to right for the final out of the 2021 AL wild-card game at Fenway Park, the Yankees and their fans have been waiting for a chance to start anew.
The waiting continues.
The Yankees had an opportunity to spend big on a transcendent free-agent class both before and after the lockout. They punted instead.
Opening Day 2022 was supposed to be March 31 in Arlington, Texas, against the Rangers. The lockout scuttled that plan.
Then it was supposed to be Thursday in the Bronx against the Red Sox. Mother Nature had other ideas.
Finally, the Yankees will take the field on Friday with Gerrit Cole throwing the first pitch at 1:07 p.m. in front of a packed house at Yankee Stadium.
But as of Thursday, there still was one more big thing (6-7, 282 pounds worth) to wait for: Will Aaron Judge sign a contract extension before Cole throws that first pitch?
As one of our greatest 20th-century philosophers — Tom Petty — once remarked, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
Judge’s self-imposed deadline got extended by a day because of Thursday’s showers. Heck, the deal might even have been quietly agreed to by the time you read this, with only some minor details to be ironed out before the club makes an Opening Day announcement that certainly would put the fans in a good mood before the first pitch.
And if they don’t? If Judge enters his walk year with the possibility looming that he could, you know, walk?
Yankee Stadium might end up being an angry place on Friday.
Yankees fans aren’t happy that Brian Cashman decided to pass on every marquee free agent in an offseason with oodles of talent available for mere money.
No Max Scherzer, no Freddie Freeman, no Carlos Correa, no Corey Seager. Fans waited for a big signing to be announced. That announcement never came.
Part of the stated reason why? The Yankees had to save big money for The Big Guy, who is so popular he has a section of the rightfield stands named after him.
(Also, something Hal Steinbrenner said about expensive bond payments. Probably not the best thing to say.)
What should the final contract total be for Judge? $200 million? $250 million? $300 million?
Who cares? The Yankees have to sign Judge. Yankees fans don’t pay these prices to root for the Pirates or Royals, i.e. teams that let their stars go elsewhere when they become too expensive.
Said teammate Anthony Rizzo: “What his value is, and what his worth is, is extremely high in this game. He’s a legitimate MVP candidate every single year. He knows that and he’s really good at this game. He’s really good about how he handles everything. I’ve admired him from afar for years. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. I come over last year and meet him and it’s the total package. What he brings to this organization from my time being here is something I haven’t seen before.”
But, Rizzo added: “When it comes to the business side of it, there’s no secret. Freddie Freeman isn’t on [Atlanta] anymore. There’s no loyalty in this game.”
It’s inconceivable that the Yankees didn’t sign a marquee free agent this offseason. It would be even more inconceivable if they went into this uncertain season with a cloud hanging over Judge’s head like the ones that drenched the Stadium on Thursday.
The Yankees broke the bank for Cole three years ago. He has been waiting since his wild-card game meltdown for another crack at the Red Sox. For another crack at a season that ends with franchise World Series trophy No. 28, which is the reason the Yankees gave him $324 million in December 2019.
Fast-forward to 2022 and the Yankees aren’t even the biggest spenders in their own city (hello, Steve Cohen). They aren’t the favorites in the AL, or even the AL East.
The Yankees made three players available to the media on Thursday. Judge was not one of them. His thoughts on the season and his contract status will have to wait until Friday.
So much waiting. Waiting for Judge to leave as a free agent? That would be the hardest part of all.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
