The Red Sox won the World Series behind AL MVP Mookie Betts in 2018, but after another strong season for Betts in 2019, the Red Sox seemingly inexplicably traded him to the Dodgers.
Ostensibly, the move was a salary dump, the Red Sox not wanting to pay Betts upwards of $20 million in his final year of arbitration, but it was still a shock to deal a burgeoning franchise icon.
The Yankees haven’t won a World Series with Aaron Judge yet, but this winter, they’re in a similar boat as the 2019 Red Sox: Judge is headed to his final year of arbitration, where he’ll make a nice raise off his $10.2 million salary from 2021, and the Yankees have to decide if he’s a long-term piece after his age-30 season, or if now is the time to cash in a trade chip.
If you ask Judge, his preference is clear.
“I want to be a Yankee for life, wear these pinstripes my whole career and bring a championship here, but I never know what the future holds,” Judge said after the Yankees’ Wild Card loss Tuesday night. “All I can do is bring it every day, and whatever happens on the flipside is out of my control.”
Judge is a three-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year and AL home run leader (and MVP runner-up all in one season), and this season, he led the Yankees in nine major offensive categories and was two hits behind DJ LeMahieu for a tenth.
Listen to New York sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Yankees team gear
However, there are concerns. A 6-foot-7, 280-pound outfielder is likely to not be the most durable long-term, and already, Judge missed the end of 2016 with an oblique issue and, before playing 148 games this year, he played just 232 of 384 possible games from 2018-20 due to various injuries.
Judge wants to be the next Jeter or DiMaggio or Yogi, a lifelong franchise icon with a cadre of rings – but will baseball work that way beyond 2021 and into the new Collective Bargaining Agreement?
“It’s an incredible honor to be here, there’s no better place to play and no better organization to be a part of its history,” Judge said. “We have the opportunity to go to the postseason every year, which is special.”
Related
The Yankees appear as if they’ll have reset the luxury tax after this season, although no one knows what that will mean when the next CBA is eventually ratified. They have the cash, it seems, but with a roster that has been criticized as poorly constructed, 2022 may be a transitional season for the team on and off the field.
It could also be Judge’s last even if he does stay, because he will be a free agent following 2022, but the uncertain is something he’s already prepared for.
“I’ve given a lot for this team, and they’ve sacrificed a lot to give me this chance,” Judge said. “I just have to keep doing what I can to improve as a player and a person, and we’ll see what happens.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch