International call to help Yanks land Judge
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club suite at Grand Hyatt Manchester Someone inside alerted general manager Brian Cashman, relaying what appeared to be breaking news: Judge appeared to be heading to the Giants. Cashman first asks if it’s from a verified account. The reporter misspelled the judge’s name as “Arson,” probably an autocorrection, but otherwise appeared to be legitimate.
• Judge, Yankees agree 9 years, $ 360 )M Transaction (Source)
Cashman considered calling managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, but instead called Judge’s attorney, Page Odle, who said No agreement has been reached yet. The atmosphere in the war room shifted from Code Red panic to general anxiety. The Yankees were alive but depressed, and Cashman sensed that time was running out — especially when news broke that San Francisco was offering a nine-year offer.
“He is our franchise player, we Wanted to keep him,” Cashman said. “We’re going to do everything we can to do that. Not only is he an offensive force, but he’s one of the greatest hitters of this generation and of all time, he’s also fantastic defensively. He’s just a very talented player and that’s Why it takes a great contract to keep [him].”
Now, the judge’s decision becomes more difficult. The Linden, Calif. native has made no secret of his dream of playing for the Giants and counts infielder Rich Aurilia and outfielder Barry Bonds as his favorite childhood players. If he wants to follow in their footsteps, this is his chance. Priests have the most years and money. Surely there are worse fates than spending the next decade in picturesque Southern California.
• Judge how the new contract expires
Time to bring in his door closers, Cashman thought. Steinbrenner arrived in Italy nine hours early, his vacation interrupted by an assessment of the situation. The Yankees don’t know anything about the Giants’ offer, but they suspect San Francisco is entering its ninth year. They were completely unaware of the sneak attack of the priests. Steinbrenner asked Judge bluntly: “Do you want to be a Yankee?”
Cashman stayed up all night hammering out details, between Steinbrenner and Odle Playing the role of air traffic controller in between, Judge alerts a few teammates and prepares to board a plane for a vacation to Hawaii with his wife, Samantha. There will be a news conference at Yankee Stadium when they return, and Judge will likely be named the club’s first captain since Derrick Jeter.
“He is the greatest player in the game One,” manager Aaron Boone said. “[Tuesday] was a long, tough day in many ways. [Retaining the judge] was a huge boost because it hopefully got us backing him and filling out our roster.”
