“He Was Born to Be a Yankee”: Derek Jeter’s Legendary Ex-Teammate Details What Aaron Judge’s $360 Million Contract Means to the Franchise

New York Yankees came into this off-season with one goal; sign Aaron Judge to a long-term contract. The Yankees managed to do so by agreeing upon a 9-year $360 million deal with their franchise centerpiece. This was a huge move for the team and for Judge himself after the star outfielder’s career year. In 2022, he took home the AL MVP award after his best season yet.

The Yankees have made other big moves, but the Judge signing was the most critical for this off-season. One legendary Yankee pitcher even gave his view on the signing and seemed happy with it.

Mariano Rivera thinks that the Aaron Judge signing was a great move by the Yankees

After talking with other teams, Aaron Judge signed a 9-year $360 million deal with the New York Yankees. This was met with a huge outpouring of support from fans all over the world. Yankees legend and Derek Jeter’s former teammate Mariano Rivera also approved of the deal. During an interview with Fox5 New York, he talked about all kinds of things and one of them was the Judge deal. 

Rivera said, “It was great. I think that’s a good decision. Me as a fan, I’m happy with that — knowing that we will have Aaron for at least nine years. I think that he belongs to the Yankees. He belongs here in New York. I think that he was born to be a Yankee. And that’s it. Some players are just born to be a dynasty — to be in one place only — and I believe that he’s one of them.”

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But Rivera is not the only former Yankee to express his opinion on the topic. Yankee legend CC Sabathia also expressed his approval of the deal. But getting back to Judge, the star outfielder wanted to cement his legacy with the team and help them win a World Series title. 

The Yankees will be aiming to win the World Series in 2023

The New York Yankees will be aiming for a deep playoff run this season following an ALCS loss in 2022. They will be trying to reach the World Series and even win it this year. The team has not appeared in or won the World Series since 2009, a drought that they will want to end. 

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Furthermore, Judge is turning 31 in April this year and the Yankees will want to make the most of his prime years. It will be interesting to see how Judge performs this year and whether the Bronx Bombers can win the World Series. What do you think of the Aaron Judge contract and Mariano Rivera’s comments on it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!