It ended as a three-team race for Aaron Judge.
The slugger flew out to the winter meetings “at the last minute” to decide between the Yankees, Giants and Padres, ESPN.com first reported. The Post’s Joel Sherman confirmed Judge flew to San Diego with the Padres making a “late run.”
Judge, 30, opted to stay with the Yankees after they bumped their offer up to nine years and $360 million. MLB.com reported “indications are” Judge turned down higher offers to return to The Bronx.
The free-agency fight for Judge appeared to be a two-team battle between the Yankees and his hometown Giants. However, the Padres seem willing to throw around big contracts this offseason.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported the Padres had offered shortstop Trea Turner a $342 million deal that he spurned to sign with the Phillies for 11 years and $300 million.
What will the Yankees do next after re-signing Aaron Judge? Follow the New York Post’s live coverage of the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings for all the latest rumors and news.
Judge, though, opted to stick with the franchise that drafted him and that he has thrived with. Judge hit an American League record-setting 62 home runs last season as he led the franchise to an AL East title and a trip to the ALCS.
Concerns had grown that Judge was considering a change after he was booed by Yankees fans as he struggled in the postseason, which included getting swept by the eventual champion Astros. Then on Tuesday morning, a Time magazine article that named Judge the Athlete of the Year included some troubling remarks about how the Yankees and GM Brian Cashman handled previous contract talks.
“We kind of said, ‘Hey, let’s keep this between us,’ ” Judge said about Cashman’s decision to announce the details of a seven-year, $213.5 million extension the outfielder turned down before Opening Day.
“I was a little upset that the numbers came out. I understand it’s a negotiation tactic. Put pressure on me. Turn the fans against me, turn the media on me. That part of it I didn’t like.”
The risk paid off for Judge as he turned his record-setting season into the biggest contract in Yankees history, and at $40 million a year he has the highest average annual value of any position player ever.
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