Outfielder Aaron Judge has turned down a $213.5 million offer to the New York Yankees, ending negotiations to extend his stay in the Bronx beyond 2022, team general manager Brian Cahman said Friday.
Cashman said the Yankees offered Judge an average salary of $30.5 million annually between 2023 and 2029. With the $17 million the team offered in arbitration for 2022 (the player is requesting $21 million), the lump sum of guaranteed money would have been of more than $230 million over eight years.
“We’re all disappointed right now that we can’t talk about a contract extension today, but that doesn’t stop us from talking about it hopefully in the future,” Cashman said, before the Yankees faced rival Boston. Red Sox, at the season opener at Yankee Stadium.
Judge, who turns 30 in April, will be able to enter free agency for the first time in his career at the end of the season. The 2017 Rookie of the Year is a three-time All-Star who finished fourth in the AL MVP race last year.
In six years with the Yankees, Judge is averaging 45 home runs and 104 RBI per 162 games, but the outfielder has only been able to play more than 145 games in a season twice in his young career.
Judge said since spring training began that he would only trade with the Yankees until the first pitch of the season, then focus on his work on the field.
“I have a game to focus on right now. So if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, I’ll see you guys after the game and we’ll talk about it,” Judge said Friday.
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