Reports of Aaron Judge's New York exit were premature, it appears.
Judge has reached agreement with the New York Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million contract in free agency, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday.
The 30-year-old slugger received interest from multiple teams, including the San Francisco Giants, whom MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported were close to signing Judge on Tuesday. The Boston Red Sox made contact with Judge as well, per reports. But Judge turned down more lucrative deals to stay in New York, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
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That means the Red Sox will continue to face Judge about 20 times per year in the American League East. That's a scary prospect, as Judge mashed an AL-record 62 home runs in 2022 en route to winning MVP and appears to be at the peak of his powers.
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The Yankees are making a massive financial commitment to Judge, though: His $40 million-per-year deal is the richest of any position player by average annual value, and New York will pay him through his 39th birthday.
Boston Red Sox
Whether that investment looks wise nine years from now remains to be seen, but the Yankees ensured they'll be contenders in 2023 by locking up their superstar slugger.