The Yankees have had a relatively quiet offseason outside of their trade with the Twins to acquire Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, but the front office is reportedly gearing up to make a splash by locking up one of their own.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, general manager Brian Cashman and company are “preparing a long-term presentation” for Aaron Judge within the next week, hoping to lock up the superstar to a long-term contract extension and avoid free agency this winter. Judge is coming off another All-Star season, which was also his healthiest since his rookie year, in which he hit 39 home runs. As the current face of the franchise, the pressure is on from the fanbase to keep Judge in pinstripes for years to come.
What makes Judge’s case interesting is the fact that he is just over a month away from turning 30 years old, nearing free agency for the first time at such a late stage because of his late arrival to the bigs, making his debut in 2016 when he was 24. But Judge has been the team’s most valuable player since his rookie year, posting a .940 OPS in 572 career games, making three All-Star teams along the way.
Judge has made it known that if an extension isn’t agreed upon by Opening Day, he will table any negotiations until the end of the season, so the clock is ticking. But it sounds like the Yankees are starting to prepare their push to get a deal done.
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