Aaron Judge hangs with Tom Brady then wins Time's Athlete of the Year

While the shot world, and tense New York Yankees fans, await Aaron Judge's free agency determination betwixt the Yankees and San Francisco Giants, the 2022 AL MVP seems to beryllium having an enjoyable fewer days.

Before helium signs a escaped cause declaration worth $300 cardinal oregon more, Judge was successful Tampa, Florida, for Monday Night Football. Sporting a Mike Evans Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey, Judge took successful the Bucs 17-16 triumph implicit the New Orleans Saints. He besides met up with Tom Brady who tried to enlistee the 6-foot-7 Judge to springiness shot a try.

Gave him my champion pitch! 😂 Thanks for coming retired @thejudge44 pic.twitter.com/asR0bD3G6f

Then, connected Tuesday morning, the slugger was named Time's Athlete of the Year. The magazine, which is acceptable to sanction its database of People of the Year for 2022, besides announced its entertainer and icon of the year.

Time compared Judge's season, which included hitting 66 location runs and breaking the AL single-season location tally record, to Steph Curry's NBA rubric tally and the farewells of tennis legends Serena Williams and Roger Federer.

"Sports fans clasp idiosyncratic records dear, and nary crippled cherishes its numbers rather similar the nationalist pastime," the mag wrote astir Judge. "Many fans and pundits adjacent see Judge the 'authentic' single-season home-run champ, fixed that each the National League players who've deed much than Judge -- Barry Bonds (73 successful 2001), Mark McGwire (70 successful 1998, 65 successful 1999), and Sammy Sosa (66 successful 1998, 64 successful 2001, 63 successful 1999) -- did truthful nether a unreality of steroid suspicion."

Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44)-who acceptable a caller American League home-run grounds earlier this year-is TIME's 2022 Athlete of the Year: https://t.co/4XNGWvH32x pic.twitter.com/z6APx89FGG