Yankees Rumors: Aaron Judge Fails to Reach Contract with NYY; Will Enter Arbitration

The New York Yankees and outfielder Aaron Judge will enter arbitration after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a 2022 contract, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com provided the filings from both sides:

However, a source told Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Monday that the Yankees are preparing to make a long-term contract offer to Judge within the next week.

Judge previously told reporters that he's only interested in getting a new deal done prior to the April 7 Opening Day date:

"If we're able to talk and get something done in spring training before the season starts, that would be ideal, especially since this is an important year. We've got a lot of things to focus on during the course of the year, winning a division and winning a championship here in New York. I don't want contract talks or extensions and all that talk to be a distraction throughout the year. So, if we're able to agree to something here in the spring before we head up to New York, that's wonderful and it would be an honor. If not, we'll talk after the season."

The Yankees and Judge avoided arbitration in 2020 ($8,500,000) and in 2021 ($10,175,000) but could not do so this year. He's eligible for free agency in 2023.

The 29-year-old Judge had 39 home runs, 98 RBI and a .287 batting average (.916 OPS) last year. He's a three-time All-Star who finished fourth in the American League MVP voting in 2021.

The two-time Silver Slugger and 2017 AL Rookie of the Year has helped the Yankees reach the playoffs in each of his five MLB seasons where he's been a regular in the starting lineup.