Aaron Hicks collected a $10.5 million salary last season, the same amount he raked in during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and the same amount he’ll bring home this upcoming season.
Most people, including Hicks himself, would likely say that the Yankee outfielder has not necessarily earned that handsome salary, though. While the financial blame doesn’t lie with Hicks — it’s not his fault the front office offered him a seven-year, $70 million extension prior to 2019, and Hicks would have been insane to turn that down — the harsh reality is that he has not played like the franchise center fielder the Yankees hoped he’d be.
Hicks isn’t even the primary center fielder anymore. Aaron Judge started there more often than any other Yankee in 2022, and Harrison Bader is the clear front runner for the job in 2023. If Judge leaves in free agency, that could open up some more playing time for Hicks, and he may even be a starter again if Andrew Benintendi doesn’t return and the Yankees can’t find an adequate replacement.
