Yankees rumors: Judge receives offer in $300MM range

Nov 30, 2022 - 4:44 PM

The biggest question surrounding the Yankees’ offseason right now is obviously about Aaron Judge and whether or not they will retain the star for 2023 and beyond. Owner Hal Steinbrenner has said that the team will try to do “everything they can” to retain him, and we now have some insight into what that entails.

According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Yankees’ latest offer to Judge is in the neighborhood of eight years and $300 million, a deal which would set the record for the highest ever average annual value for a position player. The report also indicates that the Yankees would be willing to go up from that should the Giants, their expected top competition for Judge, make a similar push. The thought from people in the industry is still that the Yankees are most likely to retain Judge. Either way, the deal seems likely to be a lot more than the $213.5 million offer the Yankees gave to Judge before the season, and more than the Dodgers’ reported offer to him.

As for the timing of when Judge signs, it does seem to be the expectation that Judge and a team will come away with a deal sometime during or around the Winter Meetings, which are set to be held in San Diego next week from December 4-7.

Obviously on its own, where the reigning AL MVP and home run king lands is a big deal, but his signing is likely to set off a lot of dominoes for the rest of the offseason market. With the Yankees possibly in contention for other big names should Judge sign elsewhere, there seems to be a holdup on the likes of Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, and others. Not shockingly after his 62-homer season, Judge is the biggest fish, and his decision could lead to things moving quickly after that.

For Yankees fans hoping to retain Judge, things aren’t out of the woods yet, especially in light of his recent meeting with the Giants. However, with a current offer on the table for around $300 million, with reports indicating that they wouldn’t stop there if need be, it seems there’s reason for cautious optimism.