Inside The Pinstripes

Brian Cashman: Yankees to Offer Aaron Judge Extension Before Opening Day

Judge and the Yankees failed to agree to terms before last week's arbitration deadline.

Max Goodman

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TAMPA — With less than two weeks to go until Opening Day, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman isn't concerned in the slightest about Aaron Judge's contract situation.

Judge and the Yankees failed to reach an agreement before last week's arbitration deadline, the latest wrinkle to the right fielder's uncertain Yankees future as he enters the final year of his current deal with New York.

The slugger has made it clear this spring that while he wants to stay with the Yankees for the rest of his career, he won't negotiate a contract extension with the club after Opening Day. He doesn't want his contractual situation to be a distraction.

Asked about Judge's developing situation off the field on Saturday, Cashman assured he and his team will be offering Judge an extension prior to the commencement of the regular season. Whether or not the offer provides a resolution remains to be seen.

"Between now and Opening Day, we've said we'll make an offer and he'll obviously receive an offer and all the conversations will be had, will have taken place and will either resolve into a multi-year deal or it won't," Cashman said at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

MLB insider Jon Heyman added Saturday afternoon that New York is expected to offer their "first big pitch" to Judge by the end of this weekend and while figures aren't known yet, it's expected to be among the biggest contracts handed out to an outfielder in baseball history. 

If Judge and the Yankees don't agree to a long-term deal or a one-year pact, then both parties will be forced to go to court for an arbitration hearing. Cashman added that the worst-case scenario would be pushing his arbitration dilemma into the regular season.

Judge and the Yankees were $4 million apart in salary figures last week. The slugger reportedly asked for $21 million while his employers offered $17 million.

New York settled on one-year deals with the other 11 arbitration-eligible players, a list including Joey Gallo, Gleyber Torres, Jordan Montgomery and more. 

"In one way or the other, we'll know where we stand when the dust settles on that," Cashman said. "Whether we're playing a year out together or whether we'll have an extension to discuss."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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