Yankees GM Brian Cashman met with reporters yesterday and discussed a variety of Bronx Bombers-related issues with Newsday’s Erik Boland (Twitter connections), MLB.com’s Bryan HochThe Associated Press and other media members.
Aaron Richter‘s contract was one of the issues raised as the star-slugger failed to reach any agreements with the club on his 2022 salary before the deadline for submitting arbitration figures last Tuesday. It appears Judge and the Yankees will now go to a hearing, with Judge asking for $21 million and the Yankees for $17 million – the $4 million gap being the largest between any player and team, which are scheduled for an Arb case this spring.
However, a much larger order could be on the horizon. The judge will be given a free hand next winter, and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has previously said the club will discuss a long-term extension. Cashman said the same Saturday, alluding to the judge’s preference to complete all negotiations before the start of the season.
“Between now and opening day we’re making an offer and he’ll obviously get an offer and all the conversions will have taken place and either go into a multi-year deal or not,” Cashman said. “We are committed. We’ll make an offer and hear what he has to say and then it’ll be penciled in by opening day.”
It should be noted that the opening game is unlikely to be an absolute deadline, as the two sides are unlikely to stop talks if they find themselves on the proverbial two-yard line to complete overtime. Most players shared Judge’s preference for keeping contract talks limited to the off-season, but it’s not uncommon for major extensions to be announced a few days or even a few weeks after opening day.
In fact, Judge himself told Dan Martin of the New York Post and other reporters on Saturday that his April 7 deadline could have some flexibility. “If there are negotiations [after Opening Day]I will not speak to him [the media] at all about it. We haven’t decided yet, but for now we have.”
Given that the Yankees rarely had extended players in the Hal Steinbrenner era, the fact that the two teams are talking long term is in itself remarkable and an indication of how well Judge performed in his first six seasons. If a multi-year contract does not materialize, it is possible that both sides might still negotiate a one-year contract to avoid the possible embarrassment of arbitration. As Martin notes, the Yankees have not gone to a hearing since 2016.
“Our position has always been, we only end up in a hearing if we’re dragged there,” Cashman said. “We only go if we are forced to. We’re not afraid to go. Our history shows that we stay out of this arena unless we are forced to get there.”
The judge’s situation could dominate the headlines for the Yankees in their final days of camp as the team may be done with their big offseason work. “We’re ready to go with what we have here,” Cashman said, but conceded that in a sense the door is always open for potential signings: “We’ve stayed in touch and reached out to many clubs about our needs . If anything comes out of these discussions, great.”
Regarding the cost of new arrivals, Cashman noted that the financial “flexibility” that property offers “means it doesn’t [the payroll] Team spending has been a hot topic in the Bronx for the past two years as the Yankees attempted to get under the luxury tax line in 2021, and then both before and after the lockout largely relinquished a free hand. (That’s not to say the offseason has been all that quiet, as the Yankees’ blockbuster five-player deal with the Twins is arguably the biggest deal of the winter.)
However, Cashman pointed out that the Yankees will have their highest payroll yet. Roster Resource projects the club to have around $245.9 million in actual dollar spend on payroll, with a luxury tax figure of just under $262.3 million. These latter numbers not only put New York back above the $230 million tax threshold, but also above the first tier ($250 million) of the punishment. That means the Yankees are currently supposed to pay a 32% surcharge on every dollar spent over the threshold, since they regained “first-time visitor” status after falling below the tax limit last year.
A new deal with the longtime Yankee Brett Gardner probably won’t cost all that much, although it remains unclear if Gardner is a candidate to return to the pinstripes for a 15th season. “Right now we’re concentrating on what we have,” Cashman said in reference to the roster, adding that he’s had several meetings with Gardner’s representatives since spring training opened.
In theory, New York already has a lot of outfield depth on the roster, between the starting trio of Judge, Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo, Gian Carlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar able to play on the grass, and Marvin Gonzales, Tim Locastro and End Inciarte everything in the mix. With the threat of injury constantly threatening, a reunion with Gardner could be a possibility, especially since Gardner was such a key clubhouse leader.