Case closed for Aaron Judge.
The slugger reportedly has reached a settlement with the New York Yankees to avoid an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Friday afternoon, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Judge had been seeking a $21 million salary for the 2022 season, while the Yankees were offering $17 million. The Yankees previously offered to meet midway at $19 million, per reports, but Judge instead opted to take the case to arbitration, seeking the arbitration victory.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported that Judge ultimately agreed to the $19 million midpoint, with incentives of $250,000 for being named MVP and $250,000 for World Series MVP.
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The settlement came just hours after Judge delivered a walk-off single that gave the Yankees a 7-6 victory over the Houston Astros on Thursday, extending what has been a career year for the 30-year-old outfielder.
Judge, a frontrunner for the American League MVP award, is hitting .304 with a league-leading 27 home runs and 53 RBIs.
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Prior to the season, Judge turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million contract offer from the Yankees, electing instead to potentially become a free agent after the season. It was a gamble for Judge, who has struggled with injuries during his career.
In his first full season, Judge was named AL Rookie of the Year after hitting .284 with 52 homers and 114 RBIs and leading the Yankees to the American League Championship Series. Over the next three seasons, he missed a combined 142 games due to a multitude of injuries.
He returned to form in 2021, hitting .287 with 39 home runs and 98 RBIs in 148 games, leading to an offseason of contract negotiations.
Arbitration hearings traditionally are held with all parties in the same room prior to spring training. That changed this year due to the owners' lockout that delayed the start of the season, with in-season hearings conducted over Zoom. Under those circumstances, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, Judge's production from the 2022 season was not eligible to be used as evidence in the hearing. If Judge, earning a prorated salary of $17 million, were to have won the hearing, the Yankees would be forced to reimburse Judge with $1.65 million in back pay.
