What did Aaron Judge’s New York Yankees teammates have to say about his contract negotiations?
While the reaction from fans has been mixed on Aaron Judge’s entry into free agency, his team mates are much more united in their message
While social media echoes with reaction to Aaron Judge having possibly played his last game in the pinstripes, fans are divided between those who lament the possibility that he will no longer be a Yankee and those who urge him to leave New York without looking back.
Yankee fans will be heartbroken at the prospect of losing the man who broke Maris’ record, while others say that the fact that he was booed by his own supporters during the ALDS is unforgivable.
Players and specifically his Yankee team mates, however, are more sanguine about the situation.
Anthony Rizzo urges the organization to simply pay Judge what he is worth. “The numbers speak for themselves,’’ says Rizzo. “The money he’s brought to this organization, this franchise, to the game of baseball. I’m sure just the money alone in September and him chasing 62 was enough to easily pay him.”
He doesn’t underestimate the amount that it will cost to keep Judge in the Bronx, though. “There’s plenty of money in this game to be spread around. I think whatever he gets is going to be astronomical, and he deserves it.”
Gerrit Cole understands where Judge is at the moment, having gone through it himself a few years ago when he moved from Houston to New York. His advice to the big-hitting outfielder? “Take your time.’’
While there is speculation that both Rizzo and Cole will be gone next season, too, that doesn’t change the advice. “The support, the talent, the type of player he is, is so special. So, he deserves to kind of enjoy this courting process and he deserves everything that’s coming for him.”
Nestor Cortes thinks that there is more than a glimmer of hope that he will remain on the Yankees roster, perhaps even being the next captain. “He’s a big part of this team, he’s a big part of the organization. He carries a lot of weight around here. He’s a superstar. Hopefully he’s back next year…all the great things he’s done here should be taken into consideration.”
DJ LeMahieu echoes that, saying, “I’d be shocked if he’s not back, but you just never know how that goes. I feel like he definitely wants to be here. But when it becomes a business, it changes a lot.”
Judge himself has never shied away from saying that he had always planned on being a Yankee for life. If the organization makes the right offer, and he is able to swallow the gall of being booed in the ALDS, then maybe. Just maybe.