Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner Willing to Consider Aaron Judge Contract Extension

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is entering the final year of his contract, but it sounds like the team doesn't want him to make it to free agency.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post that he's willing to consider signing Judge to a contract extension. Though he acknowledged Judge's impact on the franchise, Steinbrenner noted that there have been no talks of a long-term deal as of yet.

"Look, he's a great Yankee. He's one of the faces of the franchise," Steinbrenner said. "He's a great leader, great in the clubhouse. It's definitely something I'm willing to talk to [general manager Brian Cashman] about. But nothing formal has happened yet."

Judge had one of the best years of his young career in 2021, slashing .287/.373/.544 with 39 home runs and 98 RBI. Those were his highest totals since his standout rookie season in 2017.

The Yankees have made the playoffs in each of Judge's five full major league seasons. But New York hasn't advanced to the World Series since 2009. Last season was particularly disappointing, as the team failed to find any consistency and was bounced in the American League Wild Card Game by the rival Boston Red Sox.

Judge has been open about his desire to remain in New York. During a Q&A with Fanatics Live last week, the 29-year-old outfielder said being a Yankee for the rest of his career "would be a wish of mine, a goal of mine, to finish my career as a Yankee, but you never know what the cards hold. If it was up to me, I’d be a Yankee for the next 10 years, for sure."

New York has a long history of dishing out big-money deals. But it hasn't retained one of its homegrown players with a large extension since Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter signed a 10-year, $189 million contract before the 2001 season.

The Yankees, who signed manager Aaron Boone to a new three-year deal earlier this offseason, have multiple holes to fill in free agency. Cashman said that shortstop is "an area of need." The team will likely seek improvements to its outfield and starting pitching rotation as well.