Aaron Judge 'Disappointed' Contract Talks Stalled: 'I Want to Be a Yankee for Life'

The New York Yankees were unable to agree to terms on a contract extension with Judge by the opening day deadline, and after a 6-5 extra-inning win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday, he said he was disappointed.

Judge told reporters that he was not a free agent.

He said that he wants to be a Yankee for the rest of his life.

He told reporters he doesn't mind going into free agency, even though he couldn't agree to terms with the Yankees.

"Very few people get this opportunity to talk extension. Me getting this opportunity is something special, and I appreciate the Yankees wanting to do that. But I don't mind going into free agency. It is what it is. At the end of this year, I’ll talk to 30 teams. The Yankees will be one of those teams."

Cashman said the team offered Judge a seven-year deal. The final offer was an eight-year contract with an additional seven years worth $30.5 million annually, according to Marly Rivera.

Cashman said, perRivera:

"We were unsuccessful in concluding a multiyear pact. Obviously, our intent is to have Aaron Judge stay as a New York Yankee as we move forward, and I know that is his intent as well, which is a good thing. We're going to be entering those efforts in a new arena, which would be at the end of the season when free agency starts, and maybe that will determine what the real market value would be, because we certainly couldn't agree at this stage on a contract extension."

Had Judge accepted the Yankees offer, he would have become the highest-paid right fielder in baseball. According to Spotrac, the Philadelphia Phillies star is the highest paid player in the league with an annual salary of $27.5 million.

Judge has been a regular in the Yankees lineup since he won the American League rookies of the year award. He slashed.289/.373/.548 with 39 home runs and 98 runs scored last season.

The 29-year-old also earned an All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger award and finished fourth in the American League Most Valuable Player voting.

Judge went 2-for-5 at the plate with one run scored in the first game of the season.