by Deb Seymour ~ December 1, 2022
We all know by now the Yankees’ Hal Steinbrenner-Brian Cashman regime isn’t in the habit of signing their young players, even their really good ones, to long-term deals before they even reach their first arbitration. We’ve also seen them trade for young players without immediately locking them up for the long term (Gleyber Torres, primarily, comes to mind — though there have been others).
Sometimes, this strategy has paid off. It’s unlikely anyone would argue Gary Sanchez is the best catcher — nor the most productive hitter — in the league, and one of the reasons he was tradeable was precisely because he hadn’t been signed to a long-term, expensive deal. Now, even if the Yankees took on questionable contracts in exchange for Sanchez (along with Gio Urshela), at least they found a trade partner for him in the Twins.
And yet, their usual strategy has failed them this baseball off-season in particular; and that’s because several players who’ve been key to the level of success the Yankees have achieved over the past five years are now free agents — and replacing them may not be all that easy if they sign elsewhere.
The Yankees stand to lose reliever Chad Green, for example, who is 31 and is coming off Tommy John surgery. To some extent, however, his baseball future is uncertain in general — given all the unknowns about his recovery time and ability to be a top tier, back of the bullpen pitcher again.
But (and you’d have to be living on a desert island somewhere not to know this) the clock is mostly ticking on Aaron Judge — because right now, he is the free agency focus of the entire baseball world.
Will he sign with the Yankees? Or will he choose to go elsewhere, to the hard-selling San Francisco Giants or to the ever-competitive Los Angeles Dodgers? Or will some surprise fourth contender swoop in at the last minute to make Judge an offer he absolutely cannot refuse? Rumor has it the Colorado Rockies have approached Judge and/or his agent. It’s almost a sure bet Judge won’t sign with the Rockies; but then again, there’s always that surprise guest who shows up to the party unannounced and makes the biggest splash of all.
The MLB Players Association will not want Judge to settle for anything less than what they consider his true value, as that sets a benchmark for what other top players can demand this off-season and going forward.
So it must be tough to be Aaron Judge right now, even as he’s very likely about to become the wealthiest player in the major leagues. If he settles for any less than he could possibly have gotten elsewhere in order to remain a Yankee, his peers will be frustrated with him. And if he decides to move on to greener pastures based on dollar amounts alone, an entire fan base — possibly the largest fan base in sports — will never forgive him.
The Yankees carry a specific type of winning prestige and tradition that no other MLB team, even those older than the Yankees, has matched over the past century. But that historical ability to win has grown a little stale in the Bronx as of late, and choosing to leave there now is probably a little different than it would have been to choose to leave in, say, the late 1990s.
Interestingly, the Yankees weren’t on a hot annual win streak when Robinson Cano chose to leave for the Seattle Mariners, but nevertheless much of the fan base has still not forgiven him for opting to leave when he did (banned substance use aside).
Judge has openly stated he not only wants the best situation for himself and his family, but he wants to win. This is a top priority for him in deciding which team will benefit from his next contract. The Dodgers are perennial contenders to win. The Giants are building to be a contender. The Mets aren’t chasing Judge. Neither are the Astros. One of the biggest questions on his mind right now must therefore be, “are the Yankees putting me in the best position to win, even if they offer me the largest contract in baseball?”
That’s a question with which Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman will have to grapple if they hope to see Judge back in pinstripes in 2023. It’s not a question for the Players Association. It’s not a question for the Yankee fan base. It’s not a question for Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball. It’s a question for the Yankees’ ownership and general management. And if they have no clear answers, in 2023 they may find themselves with a pitcher on the mound facing their 2022 MVP, instead of having him playing defense for that very same pitcher.
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