As the red-hot New York Yankees, winners of seven of their last 10 games, continue to claw their way up the MLB standings, one thought is hard to ignore. Just where would this team be without Aaron Judge?
It's a scary thought, given that the 30-21 Yankees have only just now, in late-May, managed to play the brand of baseball expected of them before the 2023 campaign began.
But the reality is, Judge is this team's engine. He is the, to quote a now-infamous former Yankee star Reggie Jackson, the straw that stirs the drink.
Heck, he's the straw and the drink.
All of which points to one simple fact.
The Aaron Judge contract is aging- and will continue to age- like a fine wine.
Revisiting the Yankees' Aaron Judge contract
Yankees fans didn't have to imagine what life would be like without Aaron Judge. They stared that reality squarely in the face this offseason.
The likes of the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres put on their respective full-court presses in an effort to pry Judge away from the Bronx this past winter.
The Padres, unbeknownst to the Yankees at the time, went for the throat with a $415 million offer to Judge.
It nearly worked.
Never mind the premature Judge-to-the-Giants report (Arson Judge, anyone?). Save for a last-minute phone call from Yankees' managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, Judge would be wearing Padres threads in 2023.
New York, who had stood on an offer of eight years up until Steinbrenner's call, upped the ante to the tune of a nine-year, $360 million contract.
It worked.
At the time, there were some reasonable concerns about the Judge contract.
Judge, who is 31 years old, has played more than 145 games in a season just three times in his eight-year career.
He's dealt with his fair share of injuries over the years- and was even shelved due to a hip injury this season.
But when healthy this season, Judge has looked an awful lot like the slugger who enjoyed one of the best offensive seasons ever en route to taking home American League MVP honors in 2022.
Judge's value to New York by the numbers
Judge is slashing .294/.406/.643 with 14 home runs, 33 RBI, and 32 runs scored in 2023. His 1.049 OPS is identical to the mark he registered during his incredible 2017 rookie season, when he narrowly missed out on winning the MVP award.
His OPS+ of 184 would be the second-highest mark of his career should it stand for the whole season, trailing only his historic 2022 season when he broke Roger Maris' record for the most American League home runs in a single season.
The Yankees, 19-17 when Judge returned in May, went 4-6 in the 10 games he missed due to injury.
Their offense averaged just 3.5 runs per game.
Meanwhile, New York has gone 11-4 since his return, with Judge homering in eight of those games while posting a monstrous 1.375 OPS.
The Yankees offense, buoyed also by the return of Harrison Bader, has come to life.
They've scored six or more runs in 11 of the 14 games Judge has played since his return from the IL.
Despite missing time, Judge is still tied for 11th in the big leagues in Wins Above Replacement, with 1.9.
Simply put, he's been one of the league's most valuable players once again, picking up right where he left off in 2022.
But Judge's value goes far beyond the numbers.
He is the Yankees captain.
The team seems to play with more of an edge when he's in the lineup, versus when he's stuck on the bench with an injury.
Judge holds his Yankees teammates accountable in ways that other stars simply can't.
He is both a clubhouse policeman for manager Aaron Boone, as well as a willing listener to any player who needs someone to talk to.
No image says it better than Judge consoling Aaron Hicks, who has since been designated for assignment, and giving him some words of encouragement amid a brutal slump.
Judge has even taken on more of a leadership role with Yankees ownership, as he and ace starter Gerrit Cole have held closed door meetings with Steinbrenner.
Judge just so happens to put up some of the best numbers of any player in baseball. He plays outstanding defense in the outfield.
But he is so much more than just numbers.
He is everything to the Yankees.
The Yankees have 360 million reasons why Aaron Judge is important to them.
But there's not any number that can truly quantify his impact on the organization, both on and off the field.
That's why his contract will age like the finest of wines.
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