BALTIMORE — The Yankees will probably never get a bargain now. When the team failed to reach an agreement to make Aaron Judge a Yankee for life this spring, they likely lost their last chance to get any type of favorable deal. Tuesday night, as the MVP chants began at Camden Yards, Judge continued to increase his value on next winter’s free-agent market. The slugger hammered two more home runs, had four hits and was a triple shy of the cycle to lead the Yankees in a 5-4 win over the Orioles.
The Yankees (27-9) have won three straight games, eight of their last nine and 20 of their last 23 games. They maintained the best record in baseball and have guaranteed at least a split of this four-game series. The Orioles (14-23) are the only team to take a series from the Yankees this season. Baltimore won two of three here at Camden Yards last month.
Maybe it’s the scheduled rest — Judge sat out Monday night’s game as part of a prescribed rest program — or the fact he is now playing for a contract after he and the Yankees failed to reach an agreement for this season or a multi-year extension to prevent him from becoming a free agent at the end of the year. Whatever the motivation, Judge is absolutely crushing it this season.
