Aaron Judge makes latest case that Yankees can’t afford to lose him

The New York Yankees would be stupid to not pay Aaron Judge all the money in the world now.

As if Aaron Judge needed more leverage in future contract negotiations with the New York Yankees, the presumptive 2022 AL MVP just hit a three-run moonshot to walk off on the Houston Astros in extra innings.

After getting embarrassingly no-hit only a day ago, the Bronx Bombers found themselves in a 3-0 hole to everybody’s other favorite baseball team. New York would put one run across in the bottom of the seventh inning and two additional runs to tie it up at three in the bottom of the eighth. With one sweet swing in the bottom of the 10th, Judge launched New York to a 6-3 win.

It goes without saying, but Aaron Judge is an absolute … DAWG!

Aaron Judge has made it impossible for the New York Yankees not to pay him

Judge’s 28th homer on the season came off Seth Martinez’s offering when his team needed him the most. He is now up to 56 RBI on the year as well. Judge is absolutely raking at the plate, which is a big reason why the Yankees have the best record in all of baseball. They are the only team in MLB with 50 or more wins, and the Yankees just improved to a staggering 53-20 on the season.

Of course, the Yankees just so happen to be playing in the best division in baseball right now as well. The arch rival Boston Red Sox have won a league-best seven games in a row. The Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays have 40 wins apiece and would be AL Wild Card teams if the season ended today. Even the Baltimore Orioles are playing surprisingly good baseball at 34-40.

Ultimately, Judge is getting more and more expensive by the day. Even if the Yankees claim they cannot afford to keep him around once he hits free agency, New York does not have the luxury to be cheap in this situation. Either they pay an absurd amount of cash to Judge over the next decade plus or he will be growing out the filthiest beard this side of the Mississippi River somewhere else.

It is not a matter of if Judge will win AL MVP, but a matter of who will finish in second place to him.