Yankees stand with Judge as Giants await raid, originally appeared on NBC Bay Area Sports
San Francisco — For Giants fans and many in the organization, this offseason has been largely about going after Aaron Judge. But their intensity is paltry compared to what it feels like in New York.
Judge is their homegrown superstar, their version of Buster Posey, and the pressure to bring him back as a free agent is enormous. While owner Halstein Brenner will make the final call on how far the Yankees are willing to go, general manager Brian Cashman will manage the offseason.
At a season-end press conference in New York on Friday, Cashman reiterated that getting the judge back is a top priority.
“We’d love to keep him, we’d love to have him back,” he told reporters in New York. “Obviously he made a bet on himself before the season and it got He’s been amazing and continues to add on the back of his baseball card, he’s got more to play. We hope this game happens to stay in the pinstripes, that’s all I can say.”
Judge has spent his entire career as a Yankee, but after one of MLB’s greatest seasons, he’s now poised to make free agency history. He set an American League record with 62 home runs while hitting .311 with an OPS of 1.111.
Cashman drafted the judge in 2013 and watched him grow into a star, but for the first time Cashman also found himself without a guaranteed deal as the outfielder hit the open market. His latest contract expires at the end of October, but he said on Friday he was optimistic he could reach a deal with Steinbrenner soon.
Cashman also pointed out that the Yankees provide the judge’s final number as “final ownership.” He pointed to all the reasons why a reunion is needed on and off the court, saying the judge “checks all the boxes. “
“He’s a fan favorite. He interacts very well with our fans,” Cashman said. “He’s respected at that club, he’s done what you can for his career, he’s a great performer and one of the best players in the game, if not the best. Those are the types you want to keep , as long as you can, and it touches a lot of different categories. You want a team that can compete for and win championships – and players like him will help you do that as you go along .
“As George Steinbrenner said, he will be driving in the seat. People want to watch that guy play. You want great teams to be on the court where they want to come here to watch and win, but some individual player overtakes the team and when they hit the ball or have the ball in their hands it all stops, he’s that kind of guy one of the talents. “
The Giants want Judge to bring all those qualities back to Northern California, where he’s a Giants fan. Their roster needs to be strengthened, but they’re also in desperate need of a box office hit, This season includes the worst overall attendance since Oracle Park opened.
The Giants have long been eyeing Judge, and the Yankees are helping them by keeping him under contract. They’re in the season The previous final offer was $213.5 million over 7 years, but the judge rejected it.
There was speculation that the judge was unhappy that Cashman had made the offer public, but Cashman said he notified the judge’s attorney, Page Odle , he would. Cashman rightly points out that in this day and age these quotes are never a secret and someone would leak it to the press.
Related: Passan: Everything went well for the Giants to sign Judge
Asked on Friday if there had been any further communication since the Yankees’ season ended last month, Cashman said, ” no comments. “He also wouldn’t comment on whether the Yankees have a hard cap that they will provide to the judges.
Cashman did point out that having the judges make relatively quick decisions is the best option, so the team Can build or move on around him, but the Yankees will be patient no matter what. Like Bryce Harper three years ago, Judge is the kind of player you’ve been waiting for all offseason.
“He’s going to dictate his free agent dance moves because he’s earned the right to get there,” Cashman said. “He’s put himself in this position very hard, so we’ll see See how it turns out. ”
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