Hal needs Judge a whole lot more than Judge needs Hal, and the new AL MVP should make the desperate Steinbrenner the next trophy in his case.
One former New York coach of note, Jeff Van Gundy, once told me that he was never a buyer when teams tried to sell themselves as families, because real families don’t fire loved ones, and don’t trade loved ones, and don’t waive loved ones. Cashman threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day — a rising heater right under Judge’s chin — disclosing that the big man had turned down a seven-year extension worth $213.5 million.
But Cashman wanted the fan base to know that the franchise was giving it the ol’ college try, and Steinbrenner notarized the approach. Hal was the one who ordered the Code Red. “Be mad at me,” he said the other day. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Judge admitted Thursday that the lack of a deal meant “you kind of have a chip on your shoulder going into the season.” When Hal felt he had some leverage — an underwhelming contract offer that he knew would seem mind-blowing to the upper-deck fan — he used it at Judge’s expense. Just another reminder that the Steinbrenners are a family, but the Yankees are very much a business.
Hal gambled and lost. Judge gambled, and Cashman called it “the all-time best bet.” So Judge should now use his leverage to siphon every last penny out of Hal’s pockets. If that means a contract in the $350 million range, so be it. The self-made slugger against the privileged heir to his father’s empire should be a fun blowout to watch. Aaron Judge deserves to keep his job, and Hal Steinbrenner deserves to lose his shirt.
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