With Aaron Judge Re-Signing, What Should Yankees Do Next?

The New York Yankees agreed to a new deal with Aaron Judge on Wednesday, beating out the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. With Judge coming back, where should Brian Cashman focus his attention next?

Aaron Judge is staying put.

The star slugger has agreed to a nine-year, $360 million contract to remain with the Yankees. While the deal is not official and pending a physical, multiple reports said Judge picked New York over the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.

Aaron Judge flew into San Diego at the last minute to decide among three teams: the New York Yankees, the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres. The Yankees bumped their offer to nine years and $360 million, and in the end, Judge decided he wanted to remain a Yankee.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 7, 2022

The pact will give Judge the highest average annual value for a position player in baseball history. Judge’s $40 million AAV tops that of Angels outfielder Mike Trout, whose AAV is $35.5 million. Judge rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer from the Yankees before Opening Day this year, so he made himself an extra two years and $146.5 million after hitting a record-breaking 62 homers and winning the American League MVP Award.

With Judge re-signing, the Yankees can now turn their attention elsewhere. They’ve already re-signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo and reunited with right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle, but general manager Brian Cashman still has work to do after New York took care of business with Judge.

Here’s a look at some moves the Yankees can make moving forward…

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Add A Starter

Before news of Judge’s agreement with the Yankees broke Wednesday morning, Jameson Taillon agreed to a deal with the Cubs overnight. That leaves the Yankees with a rotation of Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas and a question mark.

Domingo Germán, Clarke Schmidt or another internal option could fill that fifth slot, but the Yankees would be better off adding someone else. Carlos Rodón is still available if the Yankees want to make another splash in free agency, and Japanese ace Kodai Senga is enticing despite being untested in the majors. Chris Bassitt, who has experience in New York, is another free agent option. The Yankees and Marlins also reportedly talked about a Gleyber Torres-Pablo López trade last summer that never materialized.

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Add A Left Fielder

Even with Judge coming back, the Yankees could still use an outfielder. Andrew Benintendi was acquired to play left last summer, but he’s a free agent.

The Yankees could try to re-sign Benintendi, pursue Japan’s Masataka Yoshida via the posting system, or sign/trade for someone else. New York’s internal left field options include Aaron Hicks, who struggled last year and has a long injury history, and Oswaldo Cabrera, who can play the position but doesn’t have much experience there.

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Try To Trade Albatross Contracts

This is easier said than done, but the Yankees would love to trade a few players with hefty salaries who underachieved in 2022. Hicks is one of them with three years and roughly $30 million left on his deal. Third baseman Josh Donaldson is another; he’s slated to make $21 million in 2023. New York may have to attach prospects to any trade offer that seeks to dump the duo.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa is another trade candidate, but that has more to do with his subpar 2022 season and the presence of shortstop prospects Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe than it does his $6 million salary.