The first third of the MLB season is over, and the New York Yankees have emerged as the most dominant team in the majors with a record of 39-15. While there have been contributions all around, Aaron Judge has appeared as the best position player in the league. Therefore, the 2017 Rookie of the year deserves to be paid what a highly-rated position player deserves.
Judge is in the final year of his contract with the Bombers. The Yankees initiated talks of a contract renewal with the outfielder. The franchise originally offered $30.5 a year for the next seven seasons. However, the deal seemed to be reasonable to everyone but Judge. He demanded compensation equal to Mike Trout\’s record salary of $36 million. The demand shocked the baseball fraternity as New York responded in a predictable manner. They were willing to offer a higher number than the original offer. But, it did not seem enough to Aaron.
Two months in the season, and Judge came out as an even better player than Trout on the field. He is the best player in the major league currently, with a .677 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.05. Moreover, he is tied with Manny Machado and Paul Goldschmidt with an offensive WAR of 3.1. Thus, Judge has proved that he deserves the demanded salary with the kind of impact he makes on the team\’s performance. The two-time Silver Slug Award winner has already hit 21 home runs as he is on his way to hitting 63 homers and overtaking Roger Maris\’ record at the Yankees.
Yankees Need To Find A Way To Make Judge Stay
Despite offering a massive contract, the Yankees have not been able to make Aaron Judge happy enough to consider staying. He is one of the most dominating hitters in the game. And the Bombers would want him to stay for right eight years. Talking about the contract, Judge said, \”I\’m not going to get into the contract still.\”
The Yankees earn the highest revenue and have the biggest team evaluation. As per Forbes, the franchise\’s estimated worth is $7.1 billion, which is 700 times more than the money the Steinbrenner family paid fifty years ago. Moreover, if Judge continues to dominate through the season, he might end up demanding a bigger figure. The 30-year-old has led the Yankees on the field and in the clubhouse. He is the reason the Bombers are on their way to becoming the greatest team in franchise history. Even Aaron\’s teammates love him because of his constant preparation, his priorities, focus, and consistent behavior.
Moreover, Judge stopped the contract negotiations on the opening day when the team failed to agree to his demands. Since then, he has been excellent with the bat and the glove. Talking about setting a home run record for the Yankees this season, Aaron said that it is a long season and ups & downs are going to happen. Further, Judge revealed that he had no pressure on him. The MLB ALL-Star added, \”We have a good ballclub. I don\’t have to worry a lot. If I don\’t jit a home run, DJ might get four hits, or Rizzo might do something big or Giancarlo Stanton.\”