Yankees' Aaron Judge Reveals His Plan is to Sign New Contract to Play Into His 40s

In the midst of what could end up being his third AL MVP season in the last four years, Aaron Judge hopes to join follow in the footsteps of New York Yankees legends Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera by playing into his 40s.

Speaking to The Athletic's Ian O'Connor, Judge explained his "plan" is to play out his current deal and sign another contract with the Yankees that will take him past his age-40 season.

"When I signed this deal," Judge said, "one of the things I promised was that I wanted to come in and be a contributor all the way to the end of that contract. So hopefully we’ll continue that."

Judge also revealed his "hope" and "dream" would be to surpass Babe Ruth's Yankees record of 659 career homers by the time he retires, though he acknowledged how difficult that will be.

"It’s tough, though. I’ve got to be hitting 50 homers all the way into my early 40s, said Judge. "I don’t know. It would be something good to strive for. I never really thought about it, to be honest. I just try to go out there to do my job."

There is a long way for Judge to go both before his current contract expires and catching Ruth's record. He is in the third season of his nine-year, $360 million that runs through 2031 when he will be 39.

As impressive as Judge's career has been to this point, his 350 homers are just over halfway to Ruth's record. He was a relatively late bloomer, spending two full years in the minors (2014 and 2015) before making his MLB debut as a 24-year-old late in the 2016 season.

Judge is on pace to hit 59 homers this season, which would bring his career total to 374. His current career pace of 13.6 plate appearances per home run and 475 plate appearances per season equates to 35 homers per season.

That would put Judge on pace to reach 659 homers early in his age-42 season in 2034.

Given that Judge's career averages are dragged down by three seasons in which he missed at least 50 games due to injuries and the 60-game season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's reasonable to assume he could cut into that pace considering he already has three seasons with at least 50 homers and is on track for a fourth.

The Yankees have a history of rewarding their legendary players to ensure they only wear one uniform for their entire career. Jeter spent 20 years with the club before retiring after the 2014 season. Rivera had a 19-year tenure in the Bronx from 1995 to 2013.

Judge will reach 16 years with the Yankees at the end of his current deal. He would tie Bernie Williams and Whitey Ford as the ninth-longest tenured player in franchise history if he plays out this contract.

Jeter and Rivera are the two longest-tenured players in Yankees history. Both players were also first-ballot Hall of Famers, with Rivera being the only unanimous selection when he was voted in by the BBWAA in 2019.