Why The Yankees Can't Afford To Lose Aaron Judge

Even those who know nothing about baseball have likely heard of the New York Yankees. The team is one of the most prominent in MLB and has been around for almost 120 years. Although they’ve seen some incredible talent pass through in that time, no one quite stands up to their star player of the now: Aaron Judge.

Aaron Judge signed up with the Yankees in 2016 and has been there ever since. The problem? He’s about to drop his contract with the team and move on to work as a free agent instead, meaning Judge has more flexibility when it comes to where he plays. Still, here’s why the Yankees can’t afford to lose Aaron Judge.

Aaron Judge is having one of his best seasons ever

It’s no secret that Aaron Judge has been on plenty of people’s lips in recent months. Why? He’s having one of the best seasons he’s ever had. In fact, Judge set a record in October 2022 by scoring the most home runs in a single season with a staggering 62. That means Judge is also in the running for scoring the most home runs of all time, a title that currently belongs to Barry Bonds with 73. Still, it’s not just his home runs that have got people talking about the star title. He’s spent most of the season in center field, is in line for getting the Triple Crown and a batting title, and has 16 stolen bases to date. It’s a season unlike anything seen in MLB in recent years. 

The Yankees are struggling to keep up momentum

Just because Aaron Judge is signed to the Yankees and will see out the rest of the season with the team doesn’t mean the rest of the roster is keeping up the momentum. In fact, the team almost fell out of the AL East lead altogether, following a host of troublesome games. By July 8, 2022, the Yankees were leading the AL East by a staggering 15 ½ games. Now? That lead was down to just 3 ½ games by the time September 9 rolled around. Although they have managed to mildly claw back the lead in recent weeks, plenty of fans have noticed things might not be going entirely to plan for the Yankees.

Aaron Judge is about to enter the free agent class

Spring 2022 marked a new moment for the Yankees as they bid to keep their star player with the team. In fact, it’s reported the team offered Aaron Judge a whopping $213.5 million to stay with the Yankees. The problem? Judge rejected their offer. While he didn’t cut ties with the team, moving into the free agent class means that Judge can explore other options and see what fits him best at the time. Some rumors now claim that Judge could be set to get contracts upward of $300 million, something that will be tough for the Yankees to beat if they stand a chance of convincing the player to stay. 

The Yankees know Aaron Judge is their most popular player

One of the main reasons the Yankees can’t afford to lose Aaron Judge is he’s currently one of the most popular players in MLB - by far. It’s something that hasn’t been seen since Derek Jeter was a part of the team and might not be recreated easily. In fact, number 99 jerseys are now seen far more frequently around the stadium than Jeter’s number 2. What does this mean? The team’s marketing campaigns could be shot if they lose Judge, plus they could find his dedicated fans move around with the player. While they’ll be able to bounce back, losing Aaron Judge could have plenty of consequences for the Yankees beneath the surface.

There are plenty of reasons why the Yankees can’t afford to lose Aaron Judge. As well as losing their best player of the last few seasons, it also means they could have to go against Judge if he decides to shake things up. Only time will tell if the Yankees can come up with an offer that’s good enough to make him stay.