Through the first 13 games of the 2022 season, Aaron Judge was batting .255 with a .744 OPS, mediocre numbers for a mediocre Yankees team that was 7-6 on the season.
During that time, Judge was wondering if he should have taken the Yankees $230 million contract offer.
“It was tough in the beginning,” Judge told MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds. “Definitely in April, the first couple weeks, I think it took two or three weeks until my first home run. There’s a little doubt that creeps into your mind about it. You’re kind of sitting in the outfield kicking yourself like ‘Man, maybe we should have taken that deal.’ But after a couple weeks and talking to my teammates and family, it’s like ‘Hey, clear all that, go out and play and be yourself, and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.’”
Judge actually had one home run during those first two weeks, but of course, he took off near the end of April and never slowed down, hitting an American League record 62 home runs and likely earning himself a lot more money in free agency. The $30.5 AAV he would have made had he signed the Yanks’ preseason offer is far less than what he will command now in free agency, and Judge had to thank his teammates for helping him catch fire and show his true worth.
“My teammates man, those were the guys that rode or died with me the whole season and pushed me day in and day out to go out there and be my best,” Judge said. “I wouldn’t be in this position or had the season I did if it wasn’t for those guys.”
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