USA TODAY International Edition
Free agents set for Yankees- Red Sox battle
NEW YORK – They are two of the two biggest stars in baseball’s greatest rivalry, and when they stood on the field Friday for the opening- day ceremonies at Yankee Stadium, it might be the beginning of their final season of their time with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
All- Stars Aaron Judge and Xander Bogaerts could each be free agents after the 2022 season. They’d given their teams a Friday deadline to reach an agreement on a long- term contract.
Bogaerts said Thursday that contract talks are over with the Red Sox. “It just didn’t work out,” said Bogaerts, who rejected their latest offer. “That’s behind us now. I can’t really think about that right now. It is what it is.”
On Friday, Judge said he was disappointed he and the Yankees couldn’t reach an agreement on an extension before his opening- day deadline. He was surprised the Yankees divulged their exact offer: seven years, $ 213.5 million.
But was he scared, nervous or even apprehensive of rejecting an offer that would have made him the second- highest paid outfielder on an annual average salary ($ 30.5 million a year)?
Uh- uh.
“I’m not afraid of searching for a job,” said Judge, a three- time All- Star who hit .287 last season with 39 homers and 98 RBI, finishing fourth in the MVP race. “I know no matter what, I’m playing here with the Yankees for this whole year. At the end of this year, I’ll talk to 30 teams. The Yankees will be one of those teams.”
The Yankees realize what Judge means to the organization and haven’t tried to hide how badly they want him to remain in a Yankees uniform the rest of his career.
The Red Sox feel just as passionate toward Bogaerts, a three- time All- Star who has already played on two World Series championship teams and assisted on recruiting his possible successor, Trevor Story, to the organization.
Now, they will be facing each other on opening day for perhaps the final time.
The Yankees were willing to make Judge one of the highest- paid outfielders in baseball, surpassing George Springer’s six- year, $ 150 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, but a deal approaching Mike Trout’s 10- year, $ 360 million extension was unrealistic. Judge, who turns 30 in three weeks, is three years older than Trout was when he signed his extension.
Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo was in a similar situation a year ago with the Chicago Cubs when he was eligible for free agency at the season’s conclusion. The two sides never came close to reaching an agreement, and Rizzo was traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline.
“I have talked to him a little bit about it,” Rizzo said. “At the end of the day, it’s about what is going to make him and Sammy ( Judge’s wife) happy, and what his value is, what his worth is. It’s extremely high in this game. He’s a legiti
mate MVP candidate every single year, and he knows that. …
“When it comes to the business side, there’s no secret. You see Freddie Freeman isn’t on the Braves anymore. There’s no loyalty in the game. When you separate that, and the business side, and take your heart out of it, that’s the tough part.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone is convinced that the lack of an extension won’t have any effect on Judge, who hit .406 this spring with four homers and a 1.347 OPS in 11 games.
“I don’t think it impacts him at all,” Boone said before Friday’s announcement. “I know where his focus is on. It’s on his team, his teammates and trying to win a championship.”
Bogaerts’ situation is different from Judge’s. He could simply stay put with three years and $ 60 million remaining on his original six- year, $ 120 million contract extension.
Yet considering the market for star shortstops, with Corey Seager receiving a 10- year, $ 325 million contract this winter with the Texas Rangers, and the extensions by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor ( 10 years, $ 341 million) and San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis ( 14 years, $ 340 million) a year ago. Carlos Correa became the highestpaid shortstop on an annual average basis with his three- year, $ 105.3 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, including two opt- out years.
“I can’t do nothing about it right now,” Bogaerts said. “I’ve got a season coming up in front of me, and I don’t want to put any of our teammates in that type of distraction. They don’t deserve it. We had time to get something done. It didn’t work out.
“We’ll see how it goes from there.” The irony of Bogaerts’ contract situation is that he might have hurt his own bargaining position after the lockout by persuading Story to come to Boston, where he’ll play second base. If Bogaerts departs, the Red Sox simply will move Story back to shortstop.
“We want Bogey to be here for a long time,” Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom told reporters in spring training. “We’d love to have both of them here for a long time.”
The Yankees sing the same refrain and are hopeful that Jose Ramirez’s team- friendly, five- year, $ 124 million contract extension with the Cleveland Guardians could play a factor. He finished in the top six of the AL MVP race in four of the past five years, with a WAR behind only Mookie Betts and Trout.
The Yankees didn’t pretend that Judge should sign a similar deal, but it reflected how much Ramirez wanted to stay in Cleveland. The stark difference, as well, is that Cleveland threatened to trade Ramirez to San Diego if he didn’t reach an agreement. The Yankees vow that Judge will stay all season.
Now, Judge and the Yankees are scheduled to meet in an arbitration hearing this month. Judge filed for $ 21 million; the Yankees at $ 17 million.
“He’s really good in this game, how he handles everything,” Rizzo said. “I’ve admired him from afar. For years, I heard nothing but good things about him. I come over last year and meet him, and he’s the total package. What he brings to this organization is something I haven’t seen before.”