The prior week in MLB was about an outfielder re-signing a long-term with a team in the American League and a pair of infielders agreeing to multi-year contracts with clubs in the National League.
New York Yankees Re-Sign Outfielder Aaron Judge to Nine-Year Contract
The New York Yankees accomplished one of their primary goals this offseason as they re-signed outfielder Aaron Judge.
The reigning American League MVP was signed to a nine-year contract worth $360 million, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Source confirms: Aaron Judge in agreement with Yankees, nine years, $360M. First: @JonMorosi.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2022
The contract to Judge is the largest ever to one player by the Yankees, eclipsing the $324-million deal given to starting pitcher Gerrit Cole before the 2020 campaign.
The outfielder turned down an offer from the Yankees last April and gambled on himself, and the gamble was worth it.
Judge had a historic 2022 season with the Yankees.
The slugger posted a .311 batting average and 1.111 OPS in 157 games with 133 runs scored, 177 hits, 28 doubles, 62 home runs, 131 RBIs, 16 stolen bases, and a 211 OPS+.
The Yankees bringing back Judge was a move that had to happen as he was their best player on the club last season, and he is now the face of the franchise.
The next goal for the Yankees is to continue adding quality players, to help them win another World Series.
Philadelphia Phillies Sign Shortstop Trea Turner to 11-Year Contract
The Philadelphia Phillies made a significant move in free agency as they signed shortstop Trea Turner to a deal.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Turner agreed to an 11-year, $300-million deal with the Phillies.
The deal includes a full no-trade clause, says Rosenthal.
Turner gets full no-trade clause as well. https://t.co/sdw743jRXg
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2022
Turner will earn $27.27 million annually, and the contract does not contain any deferred money, per Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY.
The #Phillies are paying Trea Turner $27.27 million a year with no deferrals.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 5, 2022
The Phillies will lose their second-highest and fifth-highest selections in the 2023 draft because Turner turned down a qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Turner had an outstanding 2022 season with the Dodgers.
The shortstop compiled a .298 batting average and .809 OPS in 160 games with 101 runs scored, 194 hits, 39 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 100 RBIs, 27 stolen bases, and a 121 OPS+.
Turner is reunited with his former teammate, outfielder Bryce Harper, which was why he wanted to sign with the Phillies.
The defending National League champs have added a tremendous player to their roster in Turner.
San Diego Padres Ink Shortstop Xander Bogaerts to 11-Year Deal
The San Diego Padres have signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280-million contract, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Bogaerts to Padres. $280M 11 years
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 8, 2022
Bogaerts receives a full no-trade clause in the contract and does not include any opt-out clauses, per Jon Morosi of MLB.com.
Source: Xander Bogaerts’ deal with Padres does not have opt-outs. It includes no-trade protection. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 8, 2022
The contract to Bogaerts is the longest ever given to a player at age 30 or older, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Bogaerts' deal is the longest contract ever signed at age 30 or older.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 8, 2022
Bogaerts gave the Boston Red Sox a chance to match the offer, but there was a large gap between both offers, and he felt he had to take the Padres’ offer, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.
Bogaerts was at the Celtics-Suns game in Phoenix when the agreement was made.
Red Sox offer, when factoring in deferrals, was worth considerably less than what the Padres presented.
When the final numbers were presented to him, there was not much choice.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) December 8, 2022
The Red Sox will miss Bogaerts as he helped lead them to five playoff berths and two World Series titles, and he is one of only four players to win at least five Silver Sluggers with the Red Sox.
The Padres have added one of the better offensive shortstops in MLB, as Bogaerts has a lifetime .292 average across 10 seasons.
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- Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.
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