New York Yankees Juan Soto (left) and Aaron Judge (right) celebrate Judge’s top of the first inning home run off of San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sat Jun 1, 2024 (AP News photo)
It’s only Business -Why Aaron Judge decided to stay a Yankee
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi Gonzalez
In 2022 Aaron Judge ended the season with the Yankees and broke the American League record for home runs in a season, a record of 61 in 1961 by Yankee Roger Maris. A record that lasted for 63 years. A couple of months after the season ended the Yankees signed Judge to a nine-year, $360 million deal breaking the record for the largest free agent deal in Major League Baseball at that time.
Next, Shohei Ohtani, after 6 years with the LA Angels, signed an incredible 10-year deal as a free agent worth $700 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and that by far is the largest ever. But back to Aaron Judge.
The Giants were reported to have offered Judge the same amount as he signed with his original team the New York Yankees for $360 million, around the same time that Judge was still searching for a new contract. But why did Aaron Judge signed with the Yankees and not the Giants?
This was a “pipe dream” for Giants to have signed a young man that followed the Giants as a kid, traveling with his parents from Linden to San Francisco (95 miles) to watch the Giants and his favorite player (not Barry Bonds) but shortstop Rich Aurilia, as he recently said.
Bay Area sportscaster Matt Steinmetz recently said that Judge not coming to the Giants was because he doesn’t want to have the pressure that Barry Bonds endured in San Francisco and that Judge was “gutless”.
Never in this world a player would feel more pressure playing in San Francisco than in Yankee Stadium. West Coast pressure is not remotely close to New York. In cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia a player who hit three home runs in one game but strikes out on his last at bat, will get booed.
That, mis amigos, you do not see in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Anaheim or San Diego. My take on why the slugger from Linden (15 miles from Stockton) Aaron Judge signed with his original team the Yankees and not the Giants is very simple.
With all respect to the Giants, Aaron Judge plays for the #1 MLB franchise, the most historic, (27 World Series titles) the highest exposure level for an athlete is in New York, like Sinatra’s “New York New York” which has become the theme song for that city, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere”.
So Judge (probably his family and advisors) and in his wisdom figured that New York is where he made his fame, most recently with the new American League home run record, the potential for endorsements is greater in New York than in San Francisco, and probably believes that with the Yankees he also has more opportunities of postseason play. I do not believe it was a difficult decision for Aaron Judge.
It is understandable for Giants fans to be upset at Judge, when he went with the Yankees instead of the Giants. After I left the US Army I lived in New York City for a few years, prior to moving to California and I know the Yankee fans are not surprised he stayed in New York.
California is laid back, New York is cut throat, edge-of-your-seat stuff, super passion and pressure all the time. A totally different lifestyle. It is also understandable why the Giants made a serious attempt to sign the slugger, this is the type of player they still need in San Francisco, a real superstar, something they lack since the days of Barry Bonds and most recently Buster Posey.
The Giants need that type of star and presence in their lineup there is no doubt about it. Giants improved the team this off season,signing very good players, like Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler and Blake Snell, but there is no hitter like Aaron Judge.
It is the type of player that baseball fans will pay just to see take a swing Aaron Judge sells tickets, and what team doesn’t like to sell tickets? Of course Shohei Ohtani is the face of baseball today, but Judge is the “swing to see in baseball”. At the end, the truth remains, Aaron Judge still a Giant, he is 6’7 !
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play voice on the Oakland A’s Spanish Network at 1010 KIQI San Francisco and 990 KATD Pittsburg and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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