No telling how Aaron Judge story will play out
Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo and centerfielder Aaron Judge in the dugout in the third inning in Game 4 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 23. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
LAS VEGAS — The biggest mystery here on the Strip, other than figuring out what the dealer’s holding at the blackjack table, is getting a read on what Aaron Judge is plotting for his next destination.
The Yankees obviously want him back, but how committed is Judge to returning to the Bronx, and at what price? The only person who knows the answers to those questions is Judge himself, and he’s probably not certain yet.
The last we saw of Judge, he was standing in the middle of the clubhouse, shortly after the Yankees were swept by the Astros in the ALCS, and not offering the strongest of assurances that he’ll be wearing pinstripes for the next decade. That’s how free agency is played. We get it.
But after the way the past six months unfolded, with the Yankees making their spurned offer public on Opening Day and Judge getting booed in his final few at-bats at the Stadium after a record-breaking MVP season, makes you wonder if things didn’t end on the best of terms heading into these negotiations.
Judge, despite his extraordinary talent, is only human — and a very competitive one at that. It’s part of what makes him so great. So when he refused to show any special affection toward the Yankees at the conclusion of the playoffs, it came off as more than merely a poker face.
Judge played hardball with general manager Brian Cashman in turning down that seven-year, $213.5 million extension — which felt like a reasonable offer at the time, in our opinion — and hitting 62 home runs to topple Roger Maris for the authentic, non-asterisk record definitely emboldened him.
That’s not to say Judge hasn’t loved being a Yankee. He did speak in glowing terms about the opportunity and having to “pinch himself” due to the dreamlike quality of patrolling the outfield at the Stadium. But the kicker was revealing.
“It was a special time,” Judge said that October night.
Was there some hidden meaning to those words? Referring to his Yankees career in the past tense?
That’s not something anyone has clarified, and we won’t know until Judge signs his next contract, wherever that turns out to be. The Yankees’ window of exclusivity to finalize a deal expires five days after the final out of the World Series, but Judge already has made it pretty clear he’s intent on entertaining offers from all 30 teams.
From Cashman’s perspective, that window slammed shut once Judge rejected the Opening Day extension without even bothering to give a counter. And are the Yankees willing to go toe-to-toe for every last dollar with the Giants or Dodgers in this next round?
At this point, it’s fair to suggest that Judge, who will turn 31 in April, will surpass the $300 million mark. That would give the Yankees three such players, joining Giancarlo Stanton ($325M) and Gerrit Cole ($324M).
“There’s a pot of gold there,” Cashman said during the playoffs. “It’s yet to be determined how much it weighs. Good for him. It was already a big pot and obviously it will be bigger.”
The Yankees do have the ability to sweeten their pitch, especially if Judge views his Bronx legacy as something that has value in addition to the financial riches. Maybe Cashman could dangle the title of captain — a position vacant since Derek Jeter’s retirement after the 2014 season — and it’s not as if Judge wouldn’t be the perfect successor to the Hall of Famer.
By any measure, Judge already has been wearing an unofficial C. His teammates, along with Aaron Boone, have mentioned him in that sort of de facto role.
But there’s no telling if that truly carries any weight with Judge, and it definitely won’t make up for any significant difference in dollars.
Cole grew up a Yankees fan and locked on the Bronx as his primary free-agent destination. But putting him in pinstripes wasn’t going to happen without the nine-year, $324 million contract, which represented the sport’s highest annual salary until Max Scherzer surpassed him last winter ($43.3M) in signing with the Mets.
Judge can shoot for the moon here, and gambling on himself was a better bet than the wager Mattress Mack placed on the Astros (that netted him only a cool $75 million).
On Monday, Judge was announced as a finalist for American League MVP honors, and unlike his free agency, this outcome is a foregone conclusion.
The real suspense awaits, in a drama that’s now been a year in the making. How far will Hal Steinbrenner go to keep the only indispensable Yankee on the roster? Was the booing directed at Judge, and earlier at Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo, something that continues to resonate with him as he considers his future audience? Is returning home to northern California a scale-tipping factor?
How fitting that this next turn for Judge winds through Las Vegas, where anything seems possible.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
