Aaron Judge Belongs in Pinstripes

Alex Rodriguez is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport of baseball. He joined the Yankees in the prime of his career and won two MVPs and helped the team win the 2009 World Series.

In 2007, A-Rod opted out of his contract and re-signed with the Yankees for $275 over the next ten years. At the time, it was the biggest contract in MLB history. The Yankees were willing to spend any amount of money to field a championship caliber team.

On August 12th 2016, Alex Rodriguez played his final game in pinstripes. The Yankees would beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 to a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium. A-Rod was in a 0-for-11 slump before punching a Chris Archer fastball into the gap in the first inning. He hit a double and drove in Brett Gardner.

One of the greatest to ever do it played his final game on August 12th.

On August 13th, the next day, we would meet the next Yankees GOAT:

August 13, 2016
Aaron Judge blasts his first career home run in his first Yankee at bat pic.twitter.com/N6DiOvQFLM

— NY Yankees Throwbacks (@yankeethrowback) October 31, 2022

24-year old Aaron Judge walked into his first career Major League at-bat and punched a BOMB out of the park. On the day after Alex Rodriguez’s final game. On the day the franchise honored the 1996 World Series, Aaron Judge declared himself as the new superstar in town.

6 years later, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees just agreed to a 9-year $360 million deal to keep the 30-year old in the Bronx for the remainder of his career.

I was prepared to sit here and complain about this deal. Judge won the AL MVP following one of the greatest statistical seasons in the history of the game hitting 62 bombs and creating awful discourse about the ‘true’ home run record and blah blah.

But Judge is also an injury-prone, strikeout machine. It would be absurd to think that at 30 years old, he is going to suddenly match or come anywhere near his production this past season so gifting him a 9-year $360 milly deal is a disaster waiting to happen.

That’s not the point though. The Yankees NEEDED to bring Judge back. This team hasn’t named a captain since Derek Jeter retired and Judge is the closest person to him. He is the best player on the roster and the team’s success is 100% dependent on Judge. He is the sun that the planets revolve around.

If the Yankees got cute and lowballed him and allowed him to sign with the San Francisco Giants then it would have confirmed that this organization had completely given up on winning and more importantly, caring about their fans.

Aaron Judge is a 6-foot-7 billboard representing everything that’s great about the New York Yankees. At least twice a week, you’ll see a play where his big ass dives for a ball in the outfield of leaps to rob an opposing hitter of a home run. A guy who knows his bones are made of paper still goes out there and puts his body on the line for the team.

The Yankees inability to make the World Series isn’t on the shoulders of Aaron Judge. If anything, he is the one consistent superstar since the day of Alex Rodriguez’s last game.

This isn’t just some typical signing of a big name free agent. This is a course correction and an indication to the fans that this franchise is no longer being coy and playing footsy. Aaron Judge is one of the best Yankees ever and he will finally be the captain. The team is willing to spend money for greatness.

Cannot wait for them to shoot him behind the barn like Old Yeller the same way they did with A-Rod the day before his first big league game because there is no fucking way he is still this good by the end of his contract. Yike.