Brian Cashman consistently noted that an Aaron Judge contract isn’t official yet, as he has yet to take a physical and finalize the reported nine-year deal, but he was sure to sing the praises of Hal Steinbrenner for his role on getting the Yankees to this point with their homegrown superstar.
“Obviously, I can’t address the big news in the room, or acknowledge anything other than we’re working very hard…but our owner was very public early on with our fanbase that he was all in and committed,” Cashman told the YES Network. “The Steinbrenner family, led by Hal, has continued to support this franchise every which way they can.
“He’s put us in a good position. He’s taken the lead as a great steward of this franchise would and should. Obviously we have to finish things off before we get to a positive resolution, but I think Hal Steinbrenner certainly put us in a good position.”
Cashman called Steinbrenner “the Mariano Rivera” of negotiations with Judge in terms of being the reliable closer, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, seemingly confirming multiple reports that a phone call from Steinbrenner to Judge on Tuesday night sealed the deal that Judge was coming back to the Bronx.
Still, Cashman never celebrates until a deal is done.
“I’m wired negative,” Cashman said. “I think the worst and hope for the best. I think it serves me well when I engage clubs and agents. I entered the process assuming and expecting nothing, and hoping that with a lot of conversations, it can lead to a positive result.”
Without directly acknowledging it, Cashman offered a reminder that Judge had always been the team’s top priority, and have reportedly spent $360 million to back that up.
“We’ve said publicly many times from the highest level,” Cashman said. “He’s our franchise player and we want to retain him…we have some more steps to take in that process, but we’re in a good position.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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