Anthony Rizzo can empathize with Aaron Judge as Opening Day arrives.
The former Cubs hero, a cornerstone of the curse-breaking 2016 squad, turned down two contract extension offers from Chicago heading into the 2021 season, one for four years and $60 million and another for five years and $70 million. Once Opening Day arrived, Rizzo turned his focus to the 2021 campaign, and nearly four months later, he was dealt to the Yankees.
Suddenly, and at one point unfathomably, his Cubs career was over.
Judge is facing a similar scenario, with the two sides reportedly not close on extension talks, with Judge hinting that once the season begins, his focus will shift to performing on the field, not negotiating an extension. Judge, the face of the franchise in the Bronx, has expressed his desire to finish his career with the Yanks, but has also acknowledged that Friday could be his last Opening Day in pinstripes.
With extension negotiating experience in his recent past, Rizzo has talked with Judge about the situation, knowing the challenges it can bring.
“I’ve talked to him a little bit about it. At the end of the day, it’s about what is going to make him and Sam happy,” Rizzo said of Judge and his wife. “What his value is and his worth is is extremely high in this game. He’s a legitimate MVP candidate every single year, and he knows that. He’s really good at this game. He’s really good at how he handles everything. I’ve admired him from afar for years, heard nothing but good things about him, and then I come over last year and meet him, and it’s the total package.”
Judge in another uniform would take a long time to get used to, but then again, Cubs fans likely said the same just one year ago, and Rizzo knows it comes down to getting your worth. He has no regrets in turning down his extension, as his current deal has a higher AAV than what was on the table from the Cubs, and knows Judge will have to do what is best for him, which could lead to tough decisions.
“What he brings to this organization from my time here is something I’ve never seen before,” Rizzo said. “But when it comes to the business side of it, there’s no secret. You see Freddie Freeman isn’t on the Braves anymore. There’s no loyalty in this game. When you separate that, the business side, and take your heart out of it, that’s the tough part.”
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