As Aaron Judge continues his pursuit of the American League home run record, the soon-to-be focal storyline about his next contract continues to loom in the background. On his way to the ballpark on Monday, Judge donned a hoodie that might have tipped his hand about his plans for the future.
Judge wore a sweatshirt that read “New York or Nowhere” across the chest, perhaps a not-so-subtle nod to where he’d like to play once he’s eligible for free agency this winter. Or, of course, it could just be an acknowledgment of affection for the city he’s called home for the past seven years.
Judge is set to cash in huge this offseason following his historic performance this year. He and the Yankees agreed to a $19 million deal with incentives back in June, and Judge has declined to comment about his future plans when asked throughout the season. Yankees team president Randy Levin said earlier this month that he’d love to re-sign Judge to a long-term deal, and with Judge’s wardrobe choice on Monday, perhaps the feeling is mutual.
“There’s no issue about, ‘Do we want Aaron Judge back?’” Levine said. “There’s no issue [with] ‘how much we value him.’ It’s a negotiation. What we’ll talk about with him and his representatives in the offseason is, ‘How do we keep him?’ And then it will be up to him to see, does he want to stay here [or] does he want to go someplace else? Is somebody offering him a better deal?”
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