11:11 a.m. ET
Marly RiveraESPN writer
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- Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com.
NEW YORK — All-Star right fielder Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees failed to agree to a contract extension before the hitter’s self-imposed deadline on opening day.
General manager Brian Cashman said the team offered a seven-year, $213.5 million extension, which, along with the $17 million they offered in arbitration this season, put the entire package on something would have brought in more than $230 million.
Earlier Friday, Judge Cashman deferred when asked about his contract status with the team.
“I won’t go into that now,” Judge said. “I think Cashman will have an update for you guys, but I have one game to focus on right now. So when it happens, it happens. If not, see you after the game and we’ll talk about it. I think we’ll have a better update after the game.”
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When asked if negotiations were still ongoing, the judge reiterated that negotiations would continue until the first pitch, scheduled for Friday at 1:08 p.m. ET in the Bronx.
“This is the deadline. If it’s not settled, we’ll work through the year-long arbitration and move on from there,” Judge said. “That’s it. I don’t want to be a distraction during the year; we have so many things to focus on, you know, a lot of good things are happening and I don’t want this to be a distraction for the team all year. After a good streak, a good month, more talk… a bad streak, a bad month… ‘should have signed that extension’ or something like that.”
He added: “Opening day is not over yet. First place is at 1:08. Today is the deadline. So we’re going to talk about overtime or no overtime, and we’re going to be done with that and move on to baseball.”
The judge couldn’t agree on a contract with the Yankees for the 2022 regular season after the 29-year-old sought $21 million in arbitration and the club countered with $17 million.
Nonetheless, manager Aaron Boone said he was confident that whatever happens to Judge’s contract, as Judge has repeatedly stated himself, it will have no impact on the field.
“He’s the ultimate teammate,” Boone said. “He’s probably the biggest leader in this room. And he’s a great player who wants to go out there and be great and wants nothing more than to be a part of the Championship club. And I have no doubt whatever the outcome, nothing will change in the way Aaron goes about his business.
“I’ve seen some of Aaron’s comments and agree, it gets done or not. But I really don’t think it will affect him. He just has too solid makeup for it not to be a problem.”
“Just getting into renewal talks, that’s a blessing,” Judge said. “I never in my life thought I would have this opportunity, it’s not something that’s guaranteed. Just the thought of even going down this path with the Yankees is something special. I know I was guaranteed that last year, it’s an arbitration year. I’ve got a year to play and renewal things are nice, but I have bigger things to focus on.”