Before signing Aaron Judge to his new deal, New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner met Pope Francis, leaving fans wondering if Judge's return was a divine act.
It is an age-old story in New York. When the iconic Yankees are good, they rule the region. In fact, it was 65 years years ago that the Bronx Bombers' National League neighbors, the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers abandoned their fanbases and moved across the country. Many believed the move was primarily done to get away from the powerful lure of the team in pinstripes. Many decades later and billions of dollars ready to spend, Mets owner Steve Cohen is at least trying to put up a fight for his Queens franchise.
The New York Yankees accomplished their top priority of the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings. They brought Aaron Judge home, making him the highest paid position player in the game, for now. That celebration didn't last very long, as general manager Brian Cashman left San Diego with a roster still marred with question marks.
Headlines from New York City aren't very positive these days. Shootings, unprovoked subway attacks, rats and despair fill the Big Apple media front pages on a daily basis. Even the New York sports world received an expected blow on Friday when Jacob deGrom left the Mets without so-much a goodbye. So, when Jon Heyman from nypost.com incorrectly tweeted on Tuesday that Aaron Judge had split from the Bronx to San Francisco, it felt like Gotham lost Batman for a better deal in another city.
As the MLB Winter Meetings rage on out west, Aaron Judge and his wife decided to head down south, and that's where Judge was "caught" in a strange new jersey.
New York Yankees fans can start to get excited. According to reports #99 indeed appears to be returning to the Bronx for a very long time. It also appears that Hal Steinbrenner was true to his word that the Pinstripes weren't going to let money get in the way of bringing the home run champion back home.
Aaron Judge's 62nd home run ball landed in the hands of Cory Youmans, a 35-year-old from Dallas, and now the ball is on the block for auction for a hefty fee.
Not one, but both of New York's baseball teams have been implicated in a collusion scandal over the biggest free agent in Major League Baseball this offseason.
MLB Free Agency is here, and with all of the decisions the NY Yankees have to make, we're here to make a few for them. These players are staying, or leaving.
At 5pm on Thursday, Major League Baseball teams will have an open opportunity to sign the predominant favorite to win the 2022 American League MVP, Aaron Judge. New York Yankees fans will sit on pins and needles, as organizations begin to make their offers to the larger than life #99. Early reports out of the general managers' meetings in Las Vegas were that "league personnel" believe Judge will return to the Bronx. However, there are a few teams ready to complicate that transaction and have the cash to do it.