TAMPA — If the Yankees and Aaron Judge do not agree to a contract extension before Opening Day, Judge will become a free agent after this season.
Judge made that clearer than ever when speaking to a group of reporters after spring training workouts on Tuesday.
“If we’re able to talk and get something done in spring training before the season starts, that would be ideal, especially since this is an important year,’’ Judge said.
“We’ve got a lot of things to focus on during the course of the year, winning a division and winning a championship here in New York. I don’t want contract talks or extensions and all that talk to be a distraction throughout the year. So, if we’re able to agree to something here in the spring before we head up to New York, that’s wonderful and it would be an honor. If not, we’ll talk after the season.”
The Yankees want to extend Judge, according to sources, though they haven’t yet engaged in a single conversation about it with Judge’s agent.
One league source pointed to the fact that the Atlanta Braves signed first baseman Matt Olson to an eight-year contract just two days after acquiring him in a trade as evidence that a significant contract can be negotiated quickly.
At the moment, the Yankees front office is consumed by the abbreviated Hot Stove season. League sources said that the team was engaged in talks with free agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
Once the 2022 roster is settled, the Yanks will address Judge’s future.
Judge said that he was not bothered by the lack of talks to date.
“As my years have gone on playing professional baseball, you start to understand the business side of things a little bit and you see how things work and you understand that a lot of other things come first,” he said.
“The team comes first and there’s a lot of things we’ve got to do to get us in the right position to get us over this hump. So for me, I don’t take it personal. I’m not discouraged by it at all because it’s out of my hands.
“I think April 7 we won’t be talking about this any more. We’ll be focused on winning ballgames for the Yankees and whatever I can do. The last thing I want to do is be in the middle of May and after a good series now, people are talking, ‘Oh, are you going to sign an extension,’ or after an 0-for-4, ‘You should have signed that extension!’”
Judge’s teammate Giancarlo Stanton expressed optimism that the sides would reach an agreement for Judge to remain a Yankee.
“I hope that the rest of our careers are together,” Stanton said. “And I think it will get figured out.”