The Yankees Reportedly Have An Offer On The Table To Aaron Judge In The Area Of 8 Years For $300 Million That Would Make Him The Highest Paid Position Player In Baseball History

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The MLB offseason has once again began with a dull roar. Unlike the NFL and NBA, MLB GMs opt to go the way more passive route when it comes to navigating the offseason. So far all the big moves so far have been Edwin Diaz and Anthony Rizzo returning to their respectful teams while Jose Abreu locked in with the Astros for three years. Not exactly needle movers. No instead, the whole baseball world waits on one man's move. 

Aaron Judge 

Whether Judge goes back to the Yankees or not sets the stage for every big free agent remaining on the board, including the star studded shortstop class. If 99 does decide to go elsewhere that leaves the Yankees resorting to a Plan B where they possibly go after a Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, or Carlos Correa and as a result help their markets. Until the big guy signs I'd be stunned if anything of real substance takes place.

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So what's the latest? Well, today Jeff Passan gave us a look into the Yankees initial offer this offseason. 

Jeff Passan:: The New York Yankees, whose chief desire this offseason is to retain Judge, have an offer on the table in the neighborhood of eight years and $300 million and could increase it, depending on how far the San Francisco Giants -- the other top suitor -- are willing to push the market. Across the industry, the expectation is that Judge re-signs

8/300 makes Aaron Judge the highest paid position player in MLB history in terms of AAV. It's a big raise from the original eight year/ $234.5 million offered to him in the spring. Judge turned that down and bet on himself leading to one of the best offensive seasons we've seen in a long time. I'd say putting your nuts on the table and earning yourself an extra $65.5 million ain't too shabby. 

For anyone who thinks this is too much for a 30 year old of his physique, there's no scenario where the Yankees can let Judge play for another team in 2023 and beyond. Not only is Judge the force that makes the whole lineup go, he is everything to that clubhouse off the field. He's their leader and the face of the franchise. Could the back end of this deal be a bit painful? No doubt, but it won't be close to as painful as letting him play for another team next year. 

By all accounts it seems Judge makes his decision by the end of the Winter Meetings next week. So now the question is where do the San Francisco Giants fall in all of this? 

We know Judge met with the Giants last week as they rolled out their version of a red carpet. Guys like Stephen Curry and Barry Bonds were most likely involved with the pitch of the city and team. Judge is a local guy who grew up a Giants fan and is surely interested in what they have to offer. That stuff is all nice, but the team that pays the most money almost always gets the big fish in this scenario. Are the Giants going to top the Yankees offer and go over $300 million after never paying anyone $200 million in their history? Remains to be seen, but I'm skeptical. 

All signs point to Judge coming back, but I won't believe it until he signs the bottom line. It scares me this offer leaked after how much it reportedly irked Judge when the same thing happened in the Spring. Maybe it's Judge's side this time around, in an attempt to kickstart a bidding war that's yet to appear? Just get me to the Winter Meetings so we can finally start to see shit pop off.