If anyone can relate to Aaron Judge’s current situation with the Yankees, with his pending free agency looming over his 6-foot-7 frame, it’s Robinson Canó.
One decade ago, Canó was the Yankees’ bonafide superstar, like Judge is now. The second baseman never missed time, playing in at least 160 games every season from 2007 to 2012, when he turned down a seven-year, $175 million extension offer from Brian Cashman and the Yankees. Instead, after a 2012 season that included his third straight and fourth overall All-Star selection, a career-high 33 home runs, a .313 batting average, and a .929 OPS, Canó signed a 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners.
“A lot of the people, most of the people, even me, say ‘That’s a lot of money,” Canó told The Athletic of the contract extension that the Yankees offered Judge, which totaled nearly $230 million. “But he’s the one who knows what he’s looking for.”
Canó signed his big contract with Seattle after finishing fourth in the MVP voting, earned another Gold Glove, and another Silver Slugger, and earned his payday in a big way. He says Judge should try and do the same.
“This is the only chance he has to get his max,” Canó said. “He has been great for the city. He deserves to get what he wants.
“At the end of the day, all these years, he’s given a discount to the team. He wants to stay there. He just has to focus and play and hopefully have a great season this year.”
Judge has indeed been a discount for the Yankees given his performance since his rookie year, and Canó was in a similar boat, costing the Yanks just $58 million total in his eight years in pinstripes, where he hit .308 with 177 home runs and compiled 45.5 WAR. Judge is on a nearly identical pace in terms of games played, but is far behind on games played due to injuries, which make many hesitant to give him a massive deal. The difference in Canó and Judge’s cases are the blatant underpay offer from the Yanks when it came to Canó, while many believe the team’s offer to Judge is a fair one. Either way, Canó believes Judge should get paid like someone who is one of the best in the game.
“We all know who he is,” Canó said. “We all know what he’s capable of, and what he brings to the table and to the team.
“You can put him up there with anybody in this league.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch