The Yankees aren't going to be losing Aaron Judge after all.
Despite a strong push from the Giants and a sneaky bid by the Padres to sign the 30-year-old free agent outfielder, the Yankees managed to retain their star slugger.
News of Judge's return to the Yankees was first reported by MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Sources: Aaron Judge is in agreement with the #Yankees. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 7, 2022
Judge was the top player available on MLB's free agent market after his record-breaking 2022 season. He slugged an AL-record 62 homers and slashed .311/.425/.686 and was named the AL MVP as he helped lead the Yankees to a 99-63 season.
Judge received a lot of interest on the open market because of his stellar season. It was expected that he would get a monster contract worth an excess of $300 million; it was just a matter of which team would give it to him and exactly how much he would get.
At the end of the day, Judge ended up becoming MLB's highest-paid player of all time, at least by one metric. Below is a breakdown of his contract with the Yankees.
MORE: Where Aaron Judge's new deal ranks among richest in sports history
Aaron Judge contract details
Judge agreed to a nine-year deal with the Yankees that is set to be worth $360 million, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The contract includes a full no-trade clause, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The deal marks the largest contract ever given in Yankees franchise history. It is the third-largest in MLB history in terms of total value, trailing only Mike Trout ($426.5 million) and Mookie Betts ($365 million).
Judge will now have an average annual value (AAV) of $40 million per season, the largest amount for a position player in MLB history by a wide margin. The previous record had been the $35.5 million AAV of Mike Trout's 12-year deal with the Angels.
MORE: The 15 worst MLB free-agent signings of all time
Certainly, Judge's decision to bet on himself as he played one a one-year, $19 million contract in 2022 paid off. The Yankees offered Judge an eight-year deal worth $230.5 million before the season begin; he ended up making nearly $130 million more after his MVP season.
8 years, $230.5M: The extension Aaron Judge was offered before the season.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 7, 2022
9 years, $360M: The contract Judge just agreed to with the Yankees.
The definition of betting on yourself 💰 pic.twitter.com/dycP1UwGa3
Judge's career earnings will be dwarfed by his new contract. He had earned an estimated $36.1 million in his first seven major league seasons, per Spotrac.com.
And in 2023, Judge will earn more than double the $19 million he played for in 2022 — depending, of course, on the structure of his contract.
MORE: MLB Winter Meetings tracker — The latest on Judge and other big-name free agents
Biggest contracts in Yankees history
Judge has now agreed to the most lucrative contract in Yankees history. He is one of just four Yankees to sign a deal worth more than $200 million.
Below are the five highest-paid Yankees in franchise history:
| Rank | Player | Total value | AAV |
| 1 | Aaron Judge | $360 million | $40 million |
| 2 | Gerrit Cole | $324 million | $36 million |
| 3 | Alex Rodriguez | $231.9 million | $25.8 million |
| 4 | C.C. Sabathia | $202 million | $22.4 million |
| 5 | Derek Jeter | $189 million | $18.9 million |
