Aaron Judge reportedly gets 'first dibs' at Yankees' money

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is apparently all-in on re-signing All-Star slugger Aaron Judge. 

Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media reported Wednesday that Steinbrenner has informed general manager Brian Cashman that Judge "gets first dibs at" the Yankees' money in free agency. "The Yankees don’t want to send the wrong signal by actively courting other major free agents. Not yet, anyway," Klapisch added. 

It's been said the Yankees aren't actively pursuing ace Jacob deGrom because they're concentrating on locking Judge down. 

Klapisch added that "one club elder" believes Judge will announce his decision "very soon" with the winter meetings set to get underway Sunday in San Diego. 

Klapisch's update came the same day it was reported the Yankees "have an offer on the table in the neighborhood of eight years and $300 million" for the reigning American League Most Valuable Player. While ESPN's Jeff Passan also said that New York could increase the worth of the contract to outbid the San Francisco Giants, Klapisch wrote that "the Yankees have been operating on the belief they’d get only one opportunity to convince Judge to stay." 

Klapisch also repeated previous takes and said that "the Yankees and Giants are 1 and 1-A in the race" to win the signature of the Linden, California, native who grew up a San Francisco fan. Passan referred to the Giants as "the other top suitor" in the Judge sweepstakes. 

Judge rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension offer from the Yankees before Opening Day and reached free agency this month after the two sides failed to come to terms on a contract following the World Series. Klapisch reported that the Yankees are now "satisfied they’ve given it their best shot" to re-sign Judge via a sales pitch that probably included saying they'd name the 30-year-old the club's next captain. 

Steinbrenner has sounded confident regarding Judge's future and suggested money isn't an issue as it pertains to negotiations. Logic suggests the Yankees want it known they've done everything within reason to keep Judge in the Bronx just in case he bolts for the West Coast.