Aaron Judge will be out of contract after the 2022 season. Every baseball fan is well aware of that. Once the 2022 season ends, every team will come hunting for his signature. Because the of form he is in right now, Judge will be a great addition to any MLB side.

However, it is also true that the New York Yankees offered him a long-term contract during the 2022 free agency. But Judge declined it, as he preferred to go into his free agency and then negotiate with various MLB franchises.

But why did Judge not sign the deal with the Yankees? The latest proposal from the Yankees had almost everything an experienced MLB player could have asked for. He declined a seven-year deal worth a whopping $213.5 million. Well, an MLB insider has revealed that Judge demanded a Mike Trout kind of contract from the Yankees.

Jon Heyman reveals Aaron Judge wanted a Mike Trout kind of contract

Notably, Mike Trout has signed one of the largest contracts in sporting history. Per Spotrac, Trout signed a 12-year deal for a whopping $426.5 million with the LA Angels. And according to Jon Heyman, Aaron Judge also wanted a similar contract from the New York Yankees.

While talking to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Heyman said that Judge has hit a jackpot. Because after declining the proposal from the Yankees, he is having his career-best season.

“Judge has really hit the jackpot here. He was asking for a Mike Trout deal,” said Jon Heyman in a podcast of the New York Post.

Joel Sherman also agreed with Heyman’s opinion. He even said that now Judge will be more valuable in the free agency, given his leadership skill and his role as a pure home run hitter.

“He’s performing like Mike Trout, even playing center field when they need him, staying healthy, and taking on a bigger leadership role… If this is going to be the baseball going forward then his value goes up even more as a pure home run hitter. What is rare is valuable,” Sherman replied.

Will Judge stay at the Yankees?

Well, that depends on the New York Yankees, whether they want to keep their talisman. Because Judge has been vocal about his love for the Yankees. And if he leaves the Pinstripes by the end of the 2022 season, it will be totally on the Yankees.

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Given his leadership skill and hitting capacity, do you think the Yankees will offer a better contract in his free agency?

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