Before a pitch was thrown at Yankee Stadium on Friday, the stakes of the New York Yankees’ season rose dramatically. The team failed to reach an extension agreement with franchise face Aaron Judge, and GM Brian Cashman called a news conference to make the front office’s position plain.
He told reporters the Yankees offered Judge, who will turn 30 later this month, a seven-year, $213.5 million extension that would kick in for 2023. The public airing of the negotiations made for a particularly dramatic cliffhanger as the Yankees shifted from an underwhelming offseason into a suddenly anxious regular season.