Yankees not going to rush Judge, Cashman says

SAN DIEGO -- The New York Yankees privation to marque wide that Aaron Judge is their apical -- and presently lone -- precedence successful escaped agency.

Yankees wide manager Brian Cashman said Monday astatine the MLB wintertime meetings that the squad is continuing to person conversations with Judge and his representatives, and that the 2 sides person been exchanging declaration offers. He said proprietor Hal Steinbrenner, who said past period that helium wants Judge to "be a Yankee for the remainder of his life," met with the 2022 American League MVP personally successful Tampa, Florida.

Steinbrenner is "putting his wealth wherever his rima is," Cashman said.

"We'd emotion to person our subordinate back," Cashman said. "We would emotion to proceed to telephone him our subordinate each measurement of the mode arsenic helium follows what looks similar -- arsenic agelong arsenic thing happens -- a vocation way that volition pb him to Cooperstown. I would similar him to beryllium successful pinstripes each measurement of the way."

Cashman said helium was unaware of immoderate plans for Judge to beryllium astatine the wintertime meetings successful San Diego and that the squad presently has nary further plans to conscionable face-to-face with the prima slugger. Judge was astatine the Saints-Bucs NFL crippled successful Tampa connected Monday night.

Due to the ample fiscal committedness that signing Judge would require, the Yankees presently are connected clasp with respective different escaped agents arsenic they hold for Judge's decision. Cashman said the Yankees would not enactment a timetable connected Judge, retired of respect for him.

"I admit being successful a presumption to person a speech with a subordinate of Judge's magnitude," said Cashman, who re-signed with the franchise connected a four-year contract Monday. "The ownership present has allowed america to enactment successful the crippled connected a big-ticket item. And that's great. I'm definite there's a batch of teams that would emotion to person entree to a subordinate of his caliber but can't enactment due to the fact that the asks are going to beryllium truthful immense."

While the Yankees person contingency plans if they are incapable to re-sign Judge, Cashman said the squad can't perpetrate to making immoderate different large moves.

"All the dominoes falling are dominoes, similar an Aaron Judge. You know, if Aaron Judge signs determination else, bash we perpetrate to thing else? Do we remake ourselves completely? It's not what we privation to do. We person immoderate truly high-end young kids that are present that we're truly excited about," Cashman said.

But arsenic escaped bureau rolls connected and much players permission the market, Cashman acknowledged the squad is acquiring much and much hazard by waiting for Judge to marque a determination connected his future.

"It's not similar we've missed clip successful my opinion," Cashman said. "I recognize the longer things go, the much astatine hazard you are. It's easier if we are driving, but we're not driving it."