New York Yankees executive Brian Cashman shut down all rumors that the team isn’t going full force after Aaron Judge with a humorous comment.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is officially on the free agent market, and several teams are likely to go after him. Many have speculated that the Yankees aren’t very interested in re-signing Judge, but executive Brian Cashman has made it clear that that’s not the case.
Cashman responded to the rumors by saying, “Whoever said that, I’d drug test him,” according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Judge had a historic season in New York, so it’s understandable that they’d want to keep him around. Of course, he’ll probably receive several offers for massive amounts of money. The Yankees will have to drive a hard bargain for the star, but as the most wealthy team in the league, they should be able to outbid anyone if they find he’s worth the money.
The Yankees should certainly aim to keep Judge as he was a major contributor to the team’s regular-season success.
Aaron Judge was a major contributor to the Yankees regular-season success
The Yanks had a great run in the regular season, finishing first in the AL East. However, they weren’t perfect and there were certainly times when their weaknesses showed. They have areas to improve, but Judge should be a bright area they aim to keep.
He didn’t do too well in the postseason, and though that’s important, it shouldn’t outweigh his success in the regular season. He hit 62 home runs over the season, breaking the AL single-season record of 61 set 61 years ago. He was in the running for a Triple Crown, but he unfortunately he fell short.
Being a contender for a Triple Crown is still a huge deal considering it’s the rarest and most prestigious accomplishments in MLB.
He also lead the league in the regular season in runs (133), homers, total bases (391), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.111) and WAR (10.6). Evidently, he’s one of the best players in the entire league.
As Cashman suggested, the Yankees would be crazy to not have much interest in re-signing him.