Can the New York Yankees Hold On To MLBbro Aaron Judge?

Can the New York Yankees Hold On To MLBbro Aaron Judge?

Next up for New York, after the team’s complete offensive collapse against the Houston Astros in the postseason, are questions bigger than what happened to the bats. And one of those is– Can the New York Yankees hold on to MLBbro Aaron Judge? 

WFAN brought in baseball pundit Steve Somers to give his opinion about what the Yankees should do with MLBbros Judge and Aaron Hicks if the franchise wants to make it out of the American League playoffs and get back to the World Series for the first time since 2009. 

Steve Somers on Aaron Hicks:

“One thing you have to do is get rid of [Aaron] Hicks and get rid of [Josh] Donaldson, Steve said. “Try to eat some of that money and get rid of him. He’s a strikeout waiting to happen.”

Steve Somers on Aaron Judge: 

“I don’t see Judge going anywhere,” Steve said. “Not San Francisco, not Boston, and he’s not going to the Mets. He’s the face of the Yankees and he’s a popular guy. He’s the leader of the team, arguably gonna be the next captain of the team. He’s gonna be MVP. He ought to go into Hal Steinbrenner’s office and say, ‘Hey partner.” 

Since Aaron Judge is supposed to be the “no-brainer” of this situation, let’s discuss it. Somers’ take on Judge sure seems rock solid on the surface, but is it?

 

 

Hal Steinbrenner sure didn’t think of Judge as a partner when the negotiations only went as far as a $19 million per year in the offseason. The Yankees decided to play chicken with Judge, and they lost…big time!

The Yankees are notorious of late, for balking against handing out long-term deals and are trying to move away from their reputation of overpaying players. They used injuries and age to lower the market price on Judge despite a highly productive 2021. 

In 2021, Aaron finished fourth in MVP voting with 39 home runs, 98 RBI, 89 runs scored and won the Silver Slugger award by carrying the team into the playoffs (Barely!) in 148 games. In 2022, despite ongoing distractions around his contract situation, he still put on one of the greatest offensive seasons in Yankees and MLB history, breaking Roger Maris’ American League record for home runs with 62.

Not only that, his all-around play at the plate and the field saved a 15.5 game collapse when the division title should have been in the bag.

Aaron Judge made a request to get a deal done before Opening Day with the understanding that he wanted to be a Yankee for a long time. Maybe if GM Brian Cashman had tacked on $40-$50 million earlier this season or in Spring Training, this conversation never makes the news cycle. But now the hottest Yankee since Derek Jeter is worth $100 million or more than the previous offer for him to even pay attention.

The last offer given to Judge was seven years at $213.5 million before the arbitration phase. Now is not the time for the Yankees to get cheap, even though the payroll is off the charts. The team is already locked in to close to $200 million in guaranteed money (Hence the Somers statements on Hicks!) with an eye on certain luxury tax levels.

Where Does Judge Go?

The San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers (a team with no issues with spending money!), Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals are all potential teams that can supply the amount of money that Aaron Judge wants. The bidding war alone could burn up any money needed to build around him. 

Now there has to be decisions made on both sides. It’s no longer Judge believing that his salary should be at the top of the MLB money list. Now, his teammates do too. 

 

 

But if that happens, our MLBbro has to understand that the bank is closed for help in the journey for a championship run. The financial constraints that signing Judge creates for any team that signs him is also a concern. 

Even though the Yankees are a multi-billion-dollar franchise, this is still a business. The Yankees have to decide on one of the biggest investments in the history of baseball and Aaron Judge has to figure out how to make good on a possible $300 million bag if it comes.  

Aaron Judge Is Having an MVP Season | Brian Cashman Should Have Paid That Man

Aaron Judge Is Having an MVP Season | Brian Cashman Should Have Paid That Man

Brian Cashman should have paid the man. 

Aaron Judge has been on fire all season, but his latest dominant stretch against a bevy of top MLBbros has been another sign that he will easily outplay the seven-year, $230 million contract Brian Cashman and the Yankees offered to begin the season.

 

 

Over the weekend, Aaron put on a show against potential first-round playoff matchup Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox. The Yankees took three of four from the Southsiders, scoring a combined 32 runs over the four-game set. Judge collected five hits, two home runs, six runs and five RBI in the series before setting his sights on division rival Baltimore. 

READ: MLBbro Aaron Judge Is Poised To Get Paid In 2022| At $21M Per The Yankees Franchise Superstar Is Giving A Hometown Discount | mlbbro.com

Tuesday, Judge went 4-5 with two homers, three RBI and two runs in a Yankees 5-4 victory over Cedric Mullins and the Orioles in Camden Yards. Judge would have had three home runs, but Baltimore decided to make Camden Yards less hitter friendly by making the left-field wall six feet taller, while also pushing it back 26 1/2 feet during the offseason.

Now the decision to alter the dimensions has confused many ballplayers, and Judge voiced his displeasure after the game. “Its a travesty, man. I’m pretty upset,” said Judge when asked directly about the new wall. “It looks like a create-a-park now.”

Even with its new ridiculous dimensions, Camden Yards couldn’t contain the hottest hitter in baseball. Over his last seven games, Judge is hitting .429 with 12 hits, five home runs, 11 RBI and a MVP-level 1.485 OPS. Aaron’s strikeout percentage is currently at 26.5%, continuing the downward trend we’ve seen every season since his rookie year, while he’s managed to hit an impressive .346 on balls in play.  

Judge being locked in like this is a gift and a curse for the Yankees, especially with his June 22nd arbitration case being the last to be heard. Although by rule nothing that takes place during the 2022 campaign can be used as part of the arbitration hearing, the Yankees $17 million counter offer to Aaron’s $21 million request will still look sillier.

 

There is nothing stopping either side from going back to the table and negotiating before the deadline on a one-year dear or even a multi-year agreement. However, for some strange reason, the Yankees front office has continued to haggle with Judge as opposed to simply locking down one of the best talents in baseball for the remainder of his career.

It’s still early, but Judge leading the Yankees toward the playoffs while also trending toward another top-three finish in MVP voting only strengthens his case for the Yankees to hand over a blank check.