One contract negotiation down, one major deal to go for Aaron Judge and the Yankees.
The two sides settled their dispute over Judge’s 2022 salary just minutes before a panel of arbitrators was expected to hear arguments Friday, as first reported by The Post. The participants were in their respective rooms — Judge said he was “all dressed up” at the players union’s office — and the arbitrators were standing by on a Zoom call when a request was made to delay the noon start time to hammer out a last-minute agreement and avoid the hearing.
Judge will earn $19 million plus bonuses of $250,000 each if he wins American League MVP and World Series MVP. Headed into deadline day, the Yankees were offering $17 million and Judge was asking for $21 million.
“It took a little longer than expected, but thankfully we’re past it,” Judge said after the Yankees’ 3-1 loss to the Astros at the Stadium. “Time to look forward and focus on winning some games.”
Asked if the result gives him any more confidence that a bigger contract extension will get done with the Yankees, Judge said, point-blank: “No. We got this one done and just happy about that.” The MLB leader with 27 home runs added that resuming long-term negotiations are “for when the season is done.”
Why did it take so long to meet in the middle and add incentives to sweeten the pot?
“You wonder when you are coming through: Why?” Judge said. “But I didn’t ask. I didn’t feel the need. It’s a business.”
About 14 hours before the settlement, Judge hit a game-winning RBI single for a come-from-behind 7-6 victory Thursday night over Houston. It was the latest moment that proved his uncanny ability to separate business from performance with free agency looming. About 10 hours after the settlement, the Yankees lost 3-1 to the Astros on Friday night.
“It’s not good to go in that room and talk about what you did, or why you are not worth it or why you are worth $20-something million,” Yankees pitcher Luis Severino said. “I’m really happy for him. At least we have him for this year and hopefully next year we can sign him back.”
The hearing was pushed into the season because business could not be conducted during the offseason MLB lockout, and it created a backlog of arbitration cases. Judge’s willingness to bet on himself and engage the Yankees in a game of chicken sets up an interesting next round of negotiations to determine if he will spend his entire career in pinstripes.
“If I would’ve went in that [arbitration] room, I probably would’ve missed the game tonight — and that didn’t sit too well with me,” Judge said, based on the noon start time. “I value playing this game with my teammates more than trying to battle it out.”
Just before Opening Day, Judge rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million extension that would have been added on top of his 2022 salary, so it would have amounted to at least $232.5 million over eight years given the settlement.
“I actually think it’s easy for him to separate,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He loves as much as anyone to compete between the lines with his teammates, and that’s why he is so revered [in the clubhouse]. He’s about winning. He understands there is a business side of this, obviously.”
Even though the arbitrators were not allowed to consider Judge’s numbers to date this season in making their decision, the settlement certainly is in the Yankees’ best interest. Arguing that Judge should not be paid at the same level as others he considers to be his peers while the slugging outfielder listened in on the call might have resulted in hurt feelings and created a disruption to a potentially historic season.
Judge is on pace to challenge Roger Maris’ single-season team record of 61 home runs and the Yankees are on pace to eclipse the MLB single-season record of 116 wins. It is fair to wonder what message a tight-knit clubhouse would have taken from seeing the Yankees take on the face of the franchise, especially when Judge said his teammates “were pretty invested.”
“No matter what would have happened, I don’t think that would’ve changed,” Boone said when asked if the agreement will help maintain chemistry. “The focus and the closeness of this group — and the mission of this group — I don’t think is altered either way.”