Extension news has been flying in from small-market teams over the past few days. The Cleveland Guardians locked up Jose Ramirez to their biggest deal in club history, while the Pittsburgh Pirates extended Ke'Bryan Hayes on Opening Day. But the far more financially stable New York Yankees have yet to extend superstar Aaron Judge.
However, they are trying. New York reportedly made a huge and potentially record-breaking offer to the outfielder:
Aaron Judge previously said that he does not want to continue contract negotiations past Opening Day. So barring a change of heart, the Yankees‘ deadline to extend him would be on Friday before New York takes on the Red Sox to open their 2022 season.
According to the New York Post, the Yankees are believed to be offering a franchise record-breaking contract in terms of annual salary for a position player. The deal could be more than Alex Rodriguez's $27.5 million dollar annual salary he made during his time in New York.
The Yankees' highest-paid player ever is Gerrit Cole, who was given a $334 million dollar deal just a couple of years ago. That price seems unlikely in this scenario, but it is possible that Judge receives a figure that is not too far off from that number. For reference, Alex Rodriguez's deal totaled $275 million.
A deal would likely be announced before the Yankees' 1 p.m. EST start time on Friday. If there is no news about an extension by then, the odds of one happening this season would seem to be highly unlikely given Judge's reportedly set deadline.
Stay tuned for more information as the Yankees continue their attempts to sign Aaron Judge for the long haul.