Report: Judge expected to sign record deal at winter meetings
Superstar slugger and reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is expected to land a record-setting contract by average annual value during Major League Baseball's winter meetings, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.
The current record annual salary for a position player is held by Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout, who earns $35.5 million per year.
The New York Yankees, with whom Judge has played his entire seven-year career thus far, reportedly have an eight-year offer on the table worth around $300 million, Passan adds. That would break Trout's record by $2 million per year ($37.5 million) but finish well shy of the total commitment made by the Angels, which was an 11-year, $426.5-million extension.
The San Francisco Giants are considered the other top suitor, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have also been rumored as a potential landing spot.
Judge, 30, is a four-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger coming off his best season, during which he hit an AL-record 62 homers. He also came close to winning the Triple Crown, with an MLB-leading 131 RBIs but ultimately ranked second in the Junior Circuit with a .311 AVG.
The winter meetings are set to begin Sunday, Dec. 4, in San Diego and run through Wednesday, Dec. 7.