Aaron Judge is roughly 121 days shy of the service time needed to be eligible for free agency after the 2022 season, and he could fall short of that this season if he is indeed unvaccinated and the city’s private sector mandate remains intact.
In short, the Yankees could lose their star outfielder for over half the season, and Judge could lose millions.
As Craig and Evan broke on Tuesday’s show, the same private sector mandate that forbids Kyrie Irving from taking the court with the Nets at the Barclays Center, unvaccinated Yankees and Mets players will not be able to play in home games unless the mandate is lifted. Shortly after that news broke, Judge was asked if he was vaccinated, to which Judge declined to respond, instead saying he was focused on the start of spring training.
Judge has long been rumored to be unvaccinated, in addition to a few other regular contributors, and if things remain the same, Judge and any other unvaccinated players would miss 82 home games, nine games in Toronto, and two road games against the Mets. That totals to 93 games that Judge would be placed on the restricted list, originally designated for players who are unavailable to play due to personal reasons, legal troubles, personal issues, etc.
For context, Phillies outfielder Adam Haseley stepped away from the game for personal reasons last season, missing roughly a month of action. He was placed on the restricted list, where he stopped accruing pay and service time, but Philadelphia retained his rights during that time.
Multiple reports indicate that under the new CBA, which was agreed upon earlier this month, players who miss games due to vaccine restrictions will not receive pay or service time for those games, meaning Judge would fall to just 69 games of eligibility in a 162-game season, well below the service time accumulation that he needs to enter free agency this winter.
Judge, soon to turn 30 years old, is expected to land a big payday this winter, especially if he turns in another All-Star season like he did last year. But if he is indeed unvaccinated and the mandates remain in place, like New York City mayor Eric Adams has indicated they will when asked multiple times about Irving’s situation, Judge would stand to lose a lot, as would the Yankees, who would be without their most valuable player for a large chunk of the season.
Some may wonder why this is impacting the 2022 season after it wasn't an issue in New York for the Yanks and Mets in 2021. Well, the private sector mandate was put in place in December, after the 2021 season was over.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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