Aaron Judge is returning to the Yankees, reports say

NEW YORK – The biggest free agent this offseason in Major League Baseball is going back to the “Big Apple” despite overtures from a few teams out west.

Per multiple reports on Wednesday morning, the first from Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Aaron Judge is returning to the Yankees where he’s played his first seven MLB seasons. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the deal is nine years and will pay him $360 million.

While many expected a return to New York, the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants reportedly made major offers to try and convince Judge to join their team.

The deal has not been confirmed by the Yankees.

Judge returns to New York after breaking the American League record for home runs as he smashed 62 during the 2022 season. He was named the AL’s MVP for the first time as he also hit .311 with 131 RBI, which earned him his third Silver Slugger Award.

A four-time All-Star and 2017 AL Rookie of the Year, Judge has hit 227 homers in 729 regular season games with the Yankees. He’s got a career slash line of .284/.394/.583 with 497 RBI.