By: Daniel Zhao

The 2022 Yankees have been on an absolute tear and are the first team to reach 50 wins this year. Much of this is due to the performance of Aaron Judge. He leads the league in slugging percentage, home runs, RBIs, and runs scored. However, his contract is almost up, and he wants to get paid big.

The Yankees drafted Judge with the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2013 draft. He spent three years in the minors and made his debut on the big stage in 2016 when he hit a home run in his first at bat. He had his first full season in the bigs 2017 when he also made his first all-star appearance. That year he batted .284 and hit 52 home runs. The judge was also voted Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting.

When 2018 rolled around, Yankee fans were expecting another stellar year from him. However, Judge was plagued with injuries. On July 26, he was hit on the wrist with a fastball and suffered a fracture that caused him to miss two months of the season. He finished the year with a .278 average, 27 home runs and 67 RBIs. He had only played 112 games out of 162.

In 2019, Judge suffered another injury early in the season, which kept him out until June 21st. In the shortened 2020, season Judge only played 22 of 60 games due first to a stress fracture in his ribs and then to a strained calf. His 2021 season rivaled his 2017, as he hit .287, with 98 RBIs and 39 home runs. Most importantly, he managed to stay healthy for the whole year. So far in the 2022 season, Judge is healthy and hitting .300, with 50 RBI’s and 25 home runs.

The Yankees have offered Judge a seven-year contract that would pay 30.5 million per year, but Judge is asking for a ten-year contract at 36 million per year. The Yankees are hesitant to give him this contract due to how injury-prone Judge is, but over the past two years he has proved he can stay healthy and that play at an elite level. The Yankees should absolutely give Aaron Judge a 10-year, $360 million contract.