We've heard for weeks that the New York Yankees "offered" $300 million for 8 years to free agent Aaron Judge. Whether it was an actual official offer is unclear. We've also heard that $300 million for 8 years will not "get it done". Really?
$300 million for 8 years is $37.5 million per year. That's more than Mike Trout is paid: $37.1 million per year through 2030.
Aaron Judge v. Mike Trout 2017-2022. Thursday, December 1, 2022
Aaron Judge born: April 26, 1992 (Age: 30-219d) in Linden, CA
Mike Trout born: August 7, 1991 (Age: 31-116d) in Vineland, NJ
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Roger Maris born: September 10, 1934 in Hibbing, MN (27 at the end of the 1961 season.)
If the Yankees made an actual offer, Aaron Judge had three options:
- accept
- reject
- counter.
Right? Or would Yankees Hal Steinbrenner (owner) and Brian Cashman (general manager) negotiate with themselves by blindly offering more ... money, years, ...? Remember, so far there are no rumors of other "offers" from other teams.
On the other hand, if the Yankees did make an offer and set a deadline, then the Yankees control things, not Aaron Judge as the conventional wisdom goes:
Aaron Judge is in the driver's seat because in 2022 Aaron Judge hit 62 Home Runs and was American League MVP.
That's not exactly incisive and it lacks common sense.
If the Yankees have made the only offer, then the Yankees are in the driver's seat.
Most likely, this is a self driving car and both the Yankees and Aaron Judge could crash
Judge may really want to stay with his only team and is playing hard to get to push the numbers up. Or Judge may want to leave and is using the Yankees as leverage to force other teams to bid high.
What if the Yankees start spending money on other free agents and leave Judge out to dry? Judge then loses a Yankee offer as leverage and other teams can make offers that are substantially lower than $300 million for 8 years.
There is also the very basic common sense: never pass up $300 million. Phillie first baseman Ryan Howard (58 HR in 2006 and NL MVP) injured his Achilles tendon in 2011 trying to run to first base in the tournament.
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ryan-howard/
He lumbered on the basepaths and, once a freak injury sapped his power, he became a high-paid albatross for a team needing to rebuild...
(2009) eight hits, including two home runs and eight RBIs, in the NLCS. For his work, he was named the NLCS MVP ...
Early in the 2010 season, the Phillies announced that they inked Howard to a contract extension worth $125 million over five years...
(2011 NLDS) With his team down 1-0 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of the decisive Game Five, Howard roped a sharp ground ball to second base and crumpled to the ground as he began running to first base... He made the final out for the second straight year and this time added injury to insult by rupturing the Achilles tendon in his left leg, requiring immediate surgery...
The contract is regarded as one of the most unfortunate in the history of baseball.30
30 Seth Trachtman, “The worst contract in MLB history,” Yardbarker, https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/the_worst_contracts_in_mlb_history/s1__28002203#slide_2, November 21, 2019.
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In 2022 the Yankees paid Aaron Judge $19 million. Judge apparently wants more than twice that. More than
$37,500,000 per year.
Yankee fans will not look kindly at someone who wants twice his current multi million dollar salary. In the early 1960s there were only one year deals:
Salaries: Mantle and Maris, the M & M Boys of 1961. Monday, March 15, 2021
Roger Maris hit 100 home runs in his first two seasons with the Yankees, 1960 and 1961, and was American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) both years. Yankee teammate Mickey Mantle finished a very close second in MVP voting both years...
Following the 1960 and 1961 seasons, Maris received these percentage increases:
1960: 77.78%
1961: 118.75%
So for the 1962 season their salaries were:
Mantle: $90,000 (28.5% more than Maris)
Maris: $70,000 (22% less than Mantle)
Mantle had an off season in 1959 and took a 13% cut for 1960.
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Yankees should not sign Aaron Judge to a new contract. Let SF Giants pay him $50-75 million per season at age 31. Monday, October 24, 2022
Aaron Judge, pick one: Giants or Yankees. Jeez, make a decision. Act like a sergeant, if not a captain. Tuesday, November 29, 2022
1961 v. 2022 top ten batting stats, including Roger Maris and Aaron Judge. Saturday, December 3, 2022
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