Aaron Judge, Yankees reportedly strike 9-year, $360 million deal

Star member of the New York Yankees Aaron Judge will allegedly stay with the team on a nine-year, $360 million contract, multiple outlets report Wednesday.

The MVP will earn $40 million per season, which is "the highest average annual payout for a position player," writes The Associated Press, per a source familiar with the matter.

News of the reported agreement arrives after what ESPN describes as "one of the greatest seasons in baseball history," when Judge hit a historic 62 home runs and surpassed the record set by Roger Maris over 50 years ago. It also comes one day after rumors of a "done deal" with the San Francisco Giants, who Judge visited last month, Fox News adds. (The San Diego Padres are said to have made a late-in-the-game push, as well, though it is believed the team never got to make a formal offer.) Now, however, the outfielder looks set to stay in pinstripes for the remainder of his career.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Judge, 30, initially declined the Yankees' seven-year, $213.5 million offer just hours before opening day in April, AP notes. He is now walking away from the negotiating table with a gain of $146.5 million "and an extra two guaranteed seasons."