Aaron Judge contract: Yankees offer star slugger more than Giancarlo Stanton

The New York Yankees have reportedly offered Aaron Judge a new contract that would make him the second-highest-paid player on the team.

Aaron Judge is set to become a free agent in 2022, but the Yankees are taking steps to make sure he never hits the market.

Last weekend, New York made Judge an offer on an extension that would pay him more than Giancarlo Stanton but less than Gerrit Cole.

That’s according to Audacy’s Jon Heyman, who reported the extension offer on MLB Network’s Hot Stove.

“They were expected to make an offer, and I believe they did so last weekend,” Heyman said. “My understanding is they’re willing to pay in the range of $30 million a year maybe over, but the years are going to be a question, and my belief is they’re not going to want to go near [Mike] Trout and [Mookie] Betts.”

Trout is making $35 million per year with the Angels while Betts is under contract with the Dodgers until 2032.

Aaron Judge contract: Yankees offer star slugger more than Giancarlo Stanton

Heyman’s reporting suggests the Yankees offered Judge around $30 million per year with an eye on a six- or seven-year extension.

That offer would make him the second-highest-paid player in pinstripes. Cole makes $36 million per year on a deal running through 2028. Stanton’s current contract averages $25 million per year and runs through 2028 as well. He’ll make $29 million in 2022 but that will rise to $32 million in 2023.

Judge will turn 30 at the end of April, so any extension New York gives him will keep him on the team into his late 30s alongside Cole and Stanton.

A three-time All-Star, Judge was a rookie sensation in 2017 with 52 home runs. He’s been an essential part of the clubhouse since then and is coming off his best season — in terms of availability and production — since that breakout debut.