Aaron Judge’s journey into free agency after the 2022 MLB season became a mega event.
After breaking Roger Maris’ AL Home Run record by hitting 62 home runs two years ago, the star slugger became the crux of a bidding war, which involved elite teams like the Yankees and the Giants.
As per reports, while other teams were also in the mix, New York and San Francisco aggressively vied for his talents.
During this tumultuous period, Judge and his wife Samantha Bracksieck were in California, getting ready for a trip to Hawaii to celebrate their marriage anniversary- all while negotiations were still ongoing.
Despite facing delays in talks with New York, Judge was clear that he was keen on staying with the Yankees. Following this, Bracksieck pushed him and asked the AL MVP to communicate with the team and share his intentions clearly.
Next, Judge reached out to the owner of the Yankees, Hal Steinbrenner even though he was away on vacation at that time. In his message to the franchise, he didn’t shy away from speaking from his heart to continue playing for them and requested an extra year on his contract for long-term security.
Surprisingly, the Yankees responded promptly by agreeing to extend the deal by one year. Cut to 2024, during an appearance in July on “Casa de Club” Judge reflected on this moment and mentioned that although he could have pushed for two more years, he chose not to and peacefully agreed to the terms and moved forward, noting:
“I said, “You can just add one more year to the deal. I’m set. I’m not looking for anything more. I just want one more year. I want to play this game for a long time.” He said, “That’s it?” I said, “Yeah, that’s it.” He said, “Alright, done. Sounds good.”
The Fresno State alumni added:
“I thought, ‘Dang, I should have asked for two more years.'”
Bringing some weight to the agreement, Judge was later honored as the Yankees‘ newest captain by following the footsteps of Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter.
However, leading up to the 2022 season, Aaron Judge took a bold step by turning down the Yankees’ offer of an eight-year, $230.5 million million contract extension.
Judge rejected the Yankees’ lucrative deal in 2021 and became baseball’s hottest free agent
In 2021, the Yankees realized Aaron Judge’s star power and offered him a long-term contract. However, Aaron Judge made a controversial career move when he turned down the team’s $230.5 million extension for eight years before the 2022 season.
Reportedly, he placed his bet on himself to have a career-defining 2022 year that would increase his worth in free agency.
Ultimately, the 2013 draftee’s risk paid off handsomely when he hit 62 home runs two years ago and became the sought-after free agent during the 2022 offseason and signed a 9-year, $360 million contract with the team.
