New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge failed to sign an extension with the Bronx Bombers before the MLB Lockout began, which means he's heading into the final year of arbitration before hitting free agency. Judge previously made it known last season that he would love to be with the Yankees for life, but at this point, things aren't exactly pointing in that direction.
On Thursday, the outfielder appeared on the “R2C2” podcast with CC Sabathia and Ryan Ruocco and discussed his uncertain future with the team.
“That’s a loaded question,” he said when asked about a possible extension.
“You know, leading into this, especially coming up through the minor leagues and rookie ball, you want to be a free agent, test the market a little bit and see what’s out there. But that’s one thing, I’ve been lucky enough to play in the best organization out of all of them, so who wants to go anywhere else? If we get an extension done before the season starts, that’d be great. I’d be completely honored to wear the Yankees pinstripes for a couple more years. But if it doesn’t happen and this is my last year [as a Yankee], I had a lot of great memories.”
It would be rather foolish for the Yanks to not reward Judge with an extension. After all, he's been one of their most consistent bats for several years now and the 29-year-old is coming off a fantastic campaign in 2021, hitting .287 with 39 homers and 98 RBI's.
In November, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he hasn't spoken to Judge's agent quite yet. He also made it clear that New York doesn't typically extend players before they become free agents, but Judge's case is different given the type of generational talent he is.
It will be interesting to see if Aaron Judge stays in the Bronx long-term. Whether he does or not, the three-time All-Star is extremely grateful for all of these years donning the pinstripes.
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