Aaron Judge has been the face of the Yankees over the last few years, but does that mean he will spend the rest of his career in pinstripes?
The 29-year-old slugger, who turns 30 next spring, is set to become a free agent after the 2022 season but the Bombers could secure him for the long haul sooner if they wish to offer the All-Star a contract extension.
It is a rarity for the Yankees to take such a course for someone who will warrant such a massive contract, but Hal Steinbrenner certainly sounds open to the idea.
“Look, he’s a great Yankee. He’s on of the faces of the franchise,” Steinbrenner told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s a great leader, great in the clubhouse. It’s definitely something I’m willing to talk to [GM Brian Cashman] about. But nothing formal has happened yet.”
While nothing formal has happened, it is telling that Steinbrenner would be open to discussing the possibility.
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As Ken Davidoff of the New York Post noted, the last time the Yankees extended a player via a megadeal was back in 2001 with Derek Jeter.
Judge put up his best season since his rookie year in 2021, largely because he was finally able to stay healthy. He hit a slash line of .297/.373/.544 with 30 home runs, 98 RBI and a 149 OPS+ over the course of 148 games.
Of course, the concern with Judge is not his production, but rather his health.
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He has already had plenty of IL stints in his 20s and it is hard to imagine a player of his size staying healthy for 162 games when he is 34, 35, 36 years old.
The Yankees could always play him more as a designated hitter, but Giancarlo Stanton has already become the full-time DH and he is under contract through at least the 2027 season.
Recent history suggests the Yankees have tried to avoid getting burned on the backend of these large contracts.
Perhaps the Yankees and Judge, who recently said he’d like to be a Yankee his entire career, could work it out as the two seem to want each other.
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