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The New York Yankees had a big reason for re-signing Aaron Judge. He is perhaps the most popular athlete in New York. In a place where the New York Knicks play basketball and the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets and New York Giants play football, that's saying something.
This popularity was on full display at the latest New York Rangers game. The newly crowned MVP and captain of the New York Yankees was showered with praise from the entire stadium.
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New York is one of the sports capitals of the world, and Judge might just be the biggest (both literally and figuratively) athlete of them all. MLB fans across the sport love him and showed that in their reactions to his Rangers game appearance.
Judge is clearly a fan favorite in New York and now that he's signed for the next nine years and is the captain of the Yankees, he can expect this kind of treatment from fans everywhere.
Why the Yankees had no choice but to sign Aaron Judge
A nine-year deal for a 31-year-old is a tough pill to swallow for most baseball fans. That deal being worth $40 million a year makes it even tougher.
However, the Yankees arguably had no choice but to sign Aaron Judge to that contract.
If they weren't able to retain their MVP, what does that say about the once-shining luster of the team? If Judge didn't want to stay, why should any top free agent go there?
Additionally, he's become the face of baseball and has been the face of the Yankees. That alone is worth the money on the contract.
It was also going to be a very bad look for him to break a franchise record and drag them to the playoffs and then sign elsewhere. The Yankees couldn't afford the optics there.
He's an excellent athlete and will continue to play well for years to come. He's so much more than just that, though, which is why the Yankees had no choice but to meet his demands.
Rare is it that an athlete can command so much from the iconic Yankees, but it happened with Aaron Judge last year.
