Astro slugger Aaron Judge agreed Wednesday to a record nine-year contract in Major League Baseball.l worth 360 million dollars to return to the New York Yankees.
The 30-year-old American free agent outfielder, who broke an American League record with 62 home runs last season, he had turned down a $213.5 million, seven-year offer from the Yankees before the 2022 season.
His new deal, according to ESPN and the MLB website, as well as various New York news outlets, means that Judge made $150 million betting on himself in the 2022 season, when he led MLB in home runs, runs scored with 133 and RBIs with 131.
Judge, who hit .311, was named the 2022 AL MVP.
Averaging $40 million a season, Judge’s contract is the richest in league history. MLB for any player who isn’t a pitcher, $4 million more per season than Mike Trout’s (Angels) 12-year contract.
The only major league players with annual contracts The richest are pitchers Max Scherzer (43 million) and Justin Verlander (43 million).
The San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres of the National League they were also pitching offers to Judge, according to reports.
In the 2022 season, Judge chased the record 61 home runs in a season in the American League of Roger Maris, who also did it with the Yankees in 1961.
The drama of his search at the end of the season was extended until October 4, when he hit his 62nd home run against the Texas Rangers.
Judge, the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year, he led the Yankees to 99 wins in the 2022 season and their sixth straight playoff appearance since his arrival.
The New York ninth was swept this year by the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.
