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April 9, 2022

MFY Icon Turns Down 7/213.5 Extension (Judge: "I'll Talk To 30 Teams")

A-A-Ron Judge has turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension (2023-29) from the Yankees, an average of $30.5 million per season.

He will be a free agent at the end of this season.

I don't mind going to free agency. . . . At the end of the year, I'm a free agent. I'll talk to 30 teams and the Yankees will be one of those 30 teams. . . . I'm not afraid of searching for a job.

It's hard to imagine Judge in another team's uniform (though not impossible). Honestly, just the thought of him leaving the Yankees makes me giddy. If he actually signed with another team (why not the Mets, if he likes New York City so much?), I'd laugh about it every fucking day for the rest of his career (and beyond).

Jeff Passan (ESPN): "The reality is, that [the Yankees] need Aaron Judge sticking around. . . . If he hits the open market . . . Steve Cohen and the Mets can use a power hitting right fielder."

Mike Petriello, MLB.com:

Needless to say, with Judge's free agency looming at the end of the season, one might say the vibes are bad. None of which, of course, precludes an abrupt change of direction. . . . 

[T]his is not exactly the conversation Yankees fans wanted to be having literally 90 minutes before the season began, because this is a big deal, one that will have repercussions on the franchise for many years to come no matter how it is resolved. . . .

Because so much emphasis is put on his elite power, it's easy to argue he's actually somewhat underrated, because he's a plus fielder, too. . . . 

But he'll also be 30 years old later this month, with a long enough injury history that he's played more than 115 games just twice, those coming in 2017 and '21. . . . [T]he history of players as large as Judge . . . staying healthy into their 30s is relatively poor. Judge is listed as being 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds . . .  

If it sounds like we think Judge will have a hard time topping this [recent extension] offer on the open market, we do, because teams have made it increasingly clear that deals stretching a decade or more are reserved for the youngest stars . . .

[T]he Yankees have not added any star position players in their primes of late, choosing not to sign Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien or Freddie Freeman . . . settling instead for much lower-level moves, all this after not previously signing Harper or Machado in years past. . . .

It's possible that Judge just wants to test the market . . . It's possible he's ready to play somewhere else. It's possible the Yankees remember how disastrous the seven-year deal they gave Jacoby Ellsbury (entering his age-30 season) went, and how much time Hicks has missed in the three seasons since signing his own seven-year deal. . . .

Judge is gambling he'll have a healthy, productive season and enter the market as the best outfielder available . . . while also carrying the risk of another injury as he enters his 30s. The Yankees are gambling on what their future looks like if they lose him, not to mention the disappointment of the fan base if he departs without another star incoming.

Some MFY fans are already freaking out a bit on Twitter, with others insisting that if Judge won't take $30 per, then screw him. One fan said: "Got 99 problems and an Aaron Judge extension is all of them". It would be a damn shame if this became a big distraction this season.

FWIW, MLB's highest-paid players, by average annual value ($30+ million)

Max Scherzer       $43,333,333 (2022-24)
Gerrit Cole        $36,000,000 (2020-28)
Mike Trout         $35,541,667 (2019-30)
Carlos Correa      $35,100,000 (2022-24)
Stephen Strasburg  $35,000,000 (2020-26)
Anthony Rendon     $35,000,000 (2020-26)
Francisco Lindor   $34,100,000 (2022-31)
Trevor Bauer       $34,000,000 (2021-23)
Justin Verlander   $33,000,000 (2020-21)
Zack Greinke       $32,500,000 (2016-21)
Nolan Arenado      $32,500,000 (2019-26)
Corey Seager       $32,500,000 (2022-31)
Miguel Cabrera     $31,000,000 (2016-23)
David Price        $31,000,000 (2016-22)
Clayton Kershaw    $31,000,000 (2019-21)
Mookie Betts       $30,416,667 (2021-32)
Manny Machado      $30,000,000 (2019-28)

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