Report: Yankees resign Judge with historic 9-year, $360M deal
Posted December 7, 2022 8:35 am.
Last Updated December 7, 2022 9:02 am.
Reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge is returning to the New York Yankees on a nine-year, $360-million contract, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
It’s the most expensive free-agent contract in major-league history, exceeding Bryce Harper’s 13-year, $330-million deal he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019.
The new contract is pending a physical.
The agreement comes after reports surfaced on Tuesday that Judge was heading to the San Francisco Giants, a club that reportedly offered Judge a hefty contract exceeding $350 million.
Judge was considering a last-minute offer made by the San Diego Padres but ultimately settled on the Yankees’ deal, according to ESPN.
The 30-year-old is coming off a historic statistical season in which he set the AL record for most home runs with 62, breaking the 61-year-old record held by Roger Maris en route to his first MVP award.
In seven seasons with the Yankees, the four-time all-star has a career .284 average to go along with 220 home runs, 497 RBI and a .977 OPS.
The right-handed outfielder has played 44 games in five trips to the postseason — where he has hit .211 with 13 home runs in 171 at-bats.
Judge rejected an eight-year, $230.5-million offer from the Yankees just before last season — and cashed in on the gamble on Wednesday.
