Aaron Judge is having a historic season.
From being a clear AL MVP frontrunner to chasing a Triple Crown, the New York Yankees star outfielder is showing up and out this year. Just a few days ago, Judge hit his 60th blast as he inches even closer to Roger Maris' American League single-season home run record (61).
As he puts the finishing touches on a record-setting season, the 30-year-old slugger is gearing up to a massive payday
“Very few people get this opportunity to talk extension. Me getting this opportunity is something special and I appreciate the Yankees wanting to do that,” Judge said after rejecting a seven-year, $213.5 million extension in spring training.
“But I don't mind going into free agency ... At the end of this year, I'll talk to 30 teams. The Yankees will be one of those teams.”
The seven-year offer the Yankees made would have made Judge the highest paid position player in team history on an annual basis, but yesterday’s price is not today’s price.
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In March 2019, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout signed the largest contract in professional sports history, that was worth $426.5 million. The 12-year contract with the Angels is now the third-largest deal in sports history. Behind soccer star Lionel Messi, who signed a 4-year $674,000,000 deal with the Barcelona football club and NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who inked a 10-year $503,000,000 million dollar deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
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However, Judge has a big chance at not only being the highest-paid MLB player in 2023 but landing ahead of Trout's mega deal.
This year, Judge was looking for a $21 million salary for the 2022 season but the Yankees were offering $17 million and even offered to meet midway at $19 million. Judge ultimately agreed to the $19 million midpoint, with incentives of $250,000 for being named MVP and $250,000 for World Series MVP. But now he looks to up the conversation.
Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay believes that the Yankees need to go at least $100 million over their last offer, bringing the offer to $313.5 million, but even that seems low. So let’s dig a little deeper. Here’s a look at a projected future AAV based on a $313.5 million dollar offer:
| Contract Amount | Length of Deal | Projected AAV |
| $313.5 million | 6 years | $52,250,000 |
| $313.5 million | 7 years | $44,785,714 |
| $313.5 million | 8 years | $39,187,500 |
| $313.5 million | 9 years | $34,833,333 |
| $313.5 million | 10 years | $31,350,000 |
Judge turns 31 years old in April of 2023, so a 12-year deal will most likely not be on the table.
But after this 2022 season tear, it's more than reasonable that he could land a massive 10-year contract. A 10-year $400 million deal would give Judge an AAV of $40 million, which would put him in the No. 2 spot behind New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer (AAV $43 million) but above Trout's AAV of $35.6 million per year.
Numbers like these are historic in the league. And even though the Yankees rank as the third priciest roster in baseball with a $253-million dollar payroll this season, keeping Judge will be the first thing on their to-do-list.
By turning down the Yankees’ initial offer, it’s clear that Judge knows his worth and may even test the waters a bit. Time will tell.
