MLB: Anthony Rizzo hopes ‘good friend’ Aaron Judge chooses to re-sign with the New York Yankees
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Anthony Rizzo hopes ‘good friend’ Aaron Judge chooses to re-sign with the New York Yankees ‘for the sake of the game’ – after signing a two-year, $40 million contract to stay
- Anthony Rizzo re-signed with the New York Yankees in free agency this week
- The veteran first baseman said he hopes Aaron Judge re-signs with the Yanks as well
- Judge is expected to bring in over $300 million with whichever team he signs
- The Yankees leadership has also made it very public that they want to re-sign him
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Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo recently agreed to a new contract with the team and hopes his friend Aaron Judge does the same.
Rizzo signed a two-year, $40 million contract, saying he chose to stay in the Bronx “because I like being a Yankee.”
Once he started talking about Judge, the 33-year-old first baseman said, “I hope Judge stays, just for the sake of the game, because you see a lot of franchise icons don’t get what they deserve. [from] the team they have done so much for.’
Anthony Rizzo hopes his “good friend” Aaron Judge chooses to re-sign with New York Yankees
“Of course I want to be his teammate,” said Rizzo. “We have become good friends on and off the field. We really enjoyed playing together.
“But at the end of it all, a friendship here or a friendship somewhere else, it’s still a friendship. It doesn’t mean you have to be on the same team to be friends.
“So wherever he is, I try to respect his privacy and his space and then let him make the decision himself.”
Rizzo stressed that in the end, he only wants the best for Judge and his family.
He was once in a similar position to Judge when he turned down a five-year, $70 million extension from the Chicago Cubs after becoming a cornerstone of the franchise during the team’s 2016 World Series run.
Judge is a free agent expected to commandeer a contract worth more than $300 million
Rizzo isn’t the only member of the Yankees organization to have spoken openly about wanting Judge back, as owner Hal Steinbrenner recently said he “made it clear” to Judge that the team will do whatever it takes to keep him on .
General Manager Brian Cashman also recently said that if the team could “wave a magic wand” and secure Judge, they would do so to get him back under contract as soon as possible.
Several other teams, including the Texas Rangers, cross-town rival New York Mets and Judge’s favorite San Francisco Giants, have all reportedly expressed interest in signing him to a contract expected to exceed $300 million.
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner has “made it clear” to Judge that he wants slugger back in New York