Yankees team owner talks Aaron Judge contract negotiations, felt good about offseason offer

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New York Yankees team owner Hal Steinbrenner defended the extension offer made to Aaron Judge at the beginning of the 2022 season, which the slugger declined.

Judge turned down an eight-year contract worth $230.5 million to $234.5 million and was reportedly looking for a nine-year deal worth around $319.6 million. Judge set an arbitrary deadline of opening day — April 8 — and said he wouldn’t talk about the contract until after the season.

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Since then, Judge has been on an absolute tear increasing his value. Going into Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates he was leading the majors in home runs (29) and runs scored (64) with the All-Star break looming. He was on a pace rivaling Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner stops to talk to the media before attending a meeting of Major League Baseball's executive committee on May 18, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

Steinbrenner, speaking with reporters, said he understood the outfielder’s value.

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"Aaron is a great Yankee, and he’s very valuable to this organization. He’s a great leader. Obviously, he’s performed extremely well this year, which we’re all thrilled about. So, look, any great Yankee, yes, it’s something we’re going to be looking at and talking about seriously. It means a lot to the organization. Nobody’s going to deny that," Steinbrenner said.

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge hits a double in the sixth inning in the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians,