NEW YORK — In the wee hours of Wednesday morning a beleaguered and resigned Hal Steinbrenner firmly cemented his membership in baseball’s One Dumb Owner club by re-signing soon-to-be 31-year-old Aaron Judge for an astounding nine years and $360 million.
Or $146.5 million more than the seven-year, $213.5 million the Yankees offered Judge last March, which he flatly rejected.
Until December 2019 when the Yankees lavished a record nine-year, $324 million contract on Gerrit Cole, a No. 1 starting pitcher they absolutely had to have, Young Hal had taken pains to act prudently when it came to the free-agent market. He took a pass on both Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in 2019 when he saw those contract negotiations heading north of $300 million — and going all the way back to 2013 when the Yankees refused to budge from seven years and $175 million for their own Robinson Cano and let him walk to the Mariners for a 10-year, $240 million contract.
