Yankees fans everywhere were able to take a collective deep breath when it was announced last week that Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees had come to an agreement on a new contract that will pay Judge $360 million dollars over nine years. Judge is coming off a 62-homerun season where he set a new American League record for most home runs in a single season. The $40 million per season average is a new MLB record for a position player. Also, this off season, the Yankees have resigned first baseman Anthony Rizzo who added 32 home runs in 2022. The organization also announced a three-year contract extension for General Manager Brian Cashman, and Manager Aaron Boone will be returning. The two moves caught the ire of many Yankees fans who hold the pair responsible for the Yankees not winning a championship in recent years.
The front office will now focus on improving a roster that was bounced out of the playoffs by the Houston Astros this past October in the American League Championship Series for the third time since 2017. The Yankees are the only team with three players who have $300 million contracts with Stanton, Cole and now Judge.
Samori Benjamin is a special correspondent for the New York Beacon. He hosts his weekly sports radio show on WHCR 90.3 Sunday 11am to 1 pm and does sports updates for WBAI.
