In the midst of a blistering start to the season, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has made one thing clear: He is done talking publicly about any potential contract extension for Aaron Judge.
“We’re not going to talk about it now going forward,” Cashman said, per The Athletic. “Whether that means we’re not going to talk, I’m not saying that, but we’re not going to talk about it [publicly]. But he’s been great. But that’s no surprise, because he is great.”
Judge has led the charge offensively for the white-hot Yankees. Through Wednesday’s game, the slugger is batting .288/.352/.613 with a league-leading 10 home runs and 21 RBI in 29 games.
New York offered Judge a seven-year, $213.5 million extension before the season started, which Judge declined.
Judge and the Yankees still have to sort out their arbitration case for the star outfielder’s 2022 salary. He’s the last hitter to have his arbitration case heard this year, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, after talks were pushed back into the regular season due to the lockout. Judge submitted a 2022 salary of $21 million, while the Yankees submitted $17 million.
The 30-year-old was the American League’s Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting in 2017. He has three All-Star appearances in his first five big-league seasons.
