No one could have predicted that Judge would hit 62 home runs and have so much fun with the Yankees. If Judge wore a different uniform, the non-New York fan reaction would have been different.
I don't want to write the transition, "And maybe we'll find out next year when he signs with a different team," because the chances of him repeating this season are minuscule.
Judge most likely led the league in hitting-related statistics. I have been watching his performance all year, not because I care about Roger Maris' record or the Yankees, but because I thought it was hysterical that the team had the deepest pockets in baseball.
With every ball he disappeared into the bleachers, the front office had no reason to worry. Brinks truck hasn't delivered to Judge's residence yet, it's insane to me, I'm not that old by baseball fan standards.
The Giants are said to be prepared to beat the Yankees offer. Judge is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and could be lured away for a better price.
There is a market for a 30-year-old player coming off a season like that. The biggest blow to the Yankee persona would be if the Mets were to sign a 10-year deal worth $300 million.
It is possible that Brian Cashman is relying on prestige to make up for the money they are hesitant to pay Judge. A big part of the appeal of New York is the fact that stars will be taken care of financially. Being overpaid is one of the perks of being a yankee.
I think he re-signs to a huge number and puts this column to the same level of hand-wringing as the Judge and Ohtani argument. If you break the 60- home run mark for the first legitimate time since 1961, you lose the Most Valuable Player. Baseball writers need to pay attention to records.
Winning titles is something the Yankees haven't done in a long time. 13 years is quite a long time for a franchise. It's really hard to do, so blame the Astros, bad luck, bad managing, or the fact that it's really hard to do.
New York is a long way off. The Yankees of my youth had a core group of home grown talent and the best infrastructure money could buy. The most recent run of success is not compatible with this. I have a lot of questions about the team's finances if this kind of deal is happening.
Judge's contract season ended all contract seasons. The Yankees used to shrug off bad contracts like the lead in a movie. The collective response to criticisms at shitty contracts used to be, "So what?"
In the early aughts, Judge would have a lifetime deal, and Yankee fans would be upset about Ohtani moving to New York.
The Dodgers and Mets will have more money on the books than the Yankees in the year 2022. If 99 wasn't the single-handedly responsible for a large portion of the team's 99 wins, I could understand why they were so upset. This isn't a situation where the numbers are meaningless.
It is alarming to see the Evil Empire looking at every credit and considering the same move as Brad Pitt does in Moneyball.
The Yankees being so strapped for cash that paying Judge risks compromising what were previously thought to be bottomless coffers, or Judge signing with San Francisco a year after he had New York fans happy crying.
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