Steinbrenner had telling message for Judge before re-signing

Aaron Judge Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

Hal Steinbrenner had a telling message for Aaron Judge before he re-signed with Yankees

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 12/21/22

Aaron Judge was officially re-introduced to the New York Yankees on Wednesday. In the weeks leading up to the AL MVP re-signing with the Yankees, team owner Hal Steinbrenner had a telling message for the star.

Hal Steinbrenner told Judge a few weeks ago: “As far as I’m concerned, you are not a free agent… you are a Yankee.” Made it his mission to get a deal done.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 21, 2022

Not only did Judge slip on the No. 99 uniform and finalize the nine-year, $360 million deal Wednesday morning, but Steinbrenner announced another item that everyone was expecting — the 30-year-old is now the 16th captain in franchise history. There had been rumors that Judge could leave New York for the San Francisco Giants, and even the San Diego Padres were reportedly a "last minute" contender in the sweepstakes.

However, the four-time All-Star said that his heart was always in the "Big Apple."

Judge said he and his wife talked after he met with other teams, at which time they decided the Yankees were the right team. “We belong in New York. We belong in this city. There’s a lot of unfinished business in New York and I’m looking forward to finishing that business.”
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 21, 2022

Judge's return to the Bronx comes as the Yankees' crosstown rivals — the New York Mets — and owner Steve Cohen continue their monster offseason. Despite losing ace Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers in early December, the Mets have more than made up for his departure in recent weeks.

They've replaced deGrom with fellow multi-Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, brought in Japanese star hurler Kodai Senga and re-signed outfielder Brandon Nimmo and stud closer Edwin Diaz, among other moves. Then perhaps the biggest shocker of them all came on Wednesday morning, as two-time All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa spurned the San Francisco Giants to join Cohen's bunch in Queens.

When the Mets and Yankees meet for the first time during the 2023 regular season in June, the matchup surely won't be lacking star power.

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