Anthony Rizzo made some eye-opening comments on the contract discussions between the New York Yankees and star outfielder Aaron Judge.
The New York Yankees were originally set to officially kick off the 2022 MLB season on Thursday, but inclement weather in the Bronx put a stop to that. While their game against the Boston Red Sox was moved to Friday, that gave the Yankees an extra day to negotiate a contract extension with star outfielder Aaron Judge.
While speaking with the media on Thursday, first baseman Anthony Rizzo was asked about the ongoing talks between the Yankees and Judge on a new deal. That is where Rizzo made some eye-opening comments regarding “loyalty” that may have some Yankees fans nervous.
Anthony Rizzo speaks on Yankees-Aaron Judge contract negotiations
Rizzo had similar discussions last year as Judge is having now. Becoming a free agent after the 2021 season, the first baseman and the Chicago Cubs negotiated a new contract during spring training but were unable to reach an agreement. Rizzo was dealt to the Yankees at the trade deadline, and he re-signed with New York on a two-year deal, which included an opt-out after the 2022 season.
The first baseman brought up the Freddie Freeman-Atlanta Braves situation when talking about loyalty. After winning the World Series last season, the Braves and Freeman disputed over a new contract, mostly due to the number of years. Ultimately, Atlanta moved on by acquiring Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics to replace Freeman. That was when Freeman signed a six-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This should make Yankees fans a bit nervous heading into Opening Day, Judge’s deadline for contract negotiations. If no deal is reached, then negotiations are likely not going to start up until the end of the 2022 campaign, where Judge is a free agent. That will give Yankees fans not too distant flashbacks of the Freeman negotiations but will hope that it ends with a different result. Of course, that different result would be the team and Judge agreeing to terms on a new contract.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported on Thursday that Judge and the Yankees had continued their discussions regarding a new deal.
Judge is coming off of a 2021 season where he slashed .287/.373/.544 and recorded 39 home runs, 98 RBI and 158 hits.
All Yankees fans can do is just wait and see what happens in the hours leading up to the first pitch between New York and Boston.