The New York Yankees can no longer wait, they need to offer outfielder Aaron judge the contract extension he wants. Judge is on a historic run, as the AL MVP favorite. He bet on himself to not sign a 8-year $230 million dollar contract in the spring, and he won, knowing exactly how much he is worth.
Now, Judge’s contracts end this fall and he will likely command over $300 million contract, joining nine other MLB players with a $300+ million contract. Judge is proving despite his age and injury history, he is not a one season wonder, he is a franchise player for years to come.
Historic Pace
Aaron Judge has just entered a historic list as he now the 10th player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs before September. As the homeruns continue to pile up, he is making it more and more difficult for the Yankees to not offer him what he wants.
Judge has the capability of breaking the homerun record before the end of the season, placing him into legendary status already this short into his career. Currently, Judge is on pace to hit 63 home runs. Of course, that wouldn’t break the record but due to the controversy on how the likes of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa got to their numbers, it would break Roger Maris’ 61 record that stood for so long before the steroid era. Judge is breaking Yankee records left and right and the Yankees cannot afford to lose somebody going on this pace.
This isn’t a one-season wonder from Judge either, as he was AL MVP runner-up in his rookie season in 2017. Judge has also hit 52 home runs in his rookie campaign, and as long as he can stay healthy, Yankees fans can expect a similar output for years to come. He will likely go down as one of the game’s greatest if this continues.
Risk The Fans Turning On Team
If the Yankees are foolish enough to let Judge go in free agency, he will be one of the hottest commodities that MLB has ever seen. Nearly every single baseball club will offer Judge a contract, all likely spanning over $300 million. Look for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Judge’s childhood favorite team, San Francisco Giants to be suitors for him.
The Yankees would also run the risk of upsetting every fan if Judge decides to go to one of the rivals, either Boston Red Sox or New York Mets. If Judge feels disrespected by New York, it would be the most dramatic way to get back at them.
No Replacing Him In Free Agency
Another reason why the Yankees need to give Judge his contract, is there is no replacing him in the offseason. There is not a single player in free agency that can replicate Judge’s power and his fielding. Most players with Judge’s power (and there aren’t many), strictly play designated hitter, but with Judge’s unique ability of power and athleticism, there is nobody like him that would be available for New York this season.
