3 Yankees facing make-or-break seasons in 2021

1. Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge needs two full healthy seasons to convince the Yankees to sign him long term.

Nobody wants to hear this. We don’t even want to talk about it. In fact, we have to take a break and pace around the room before even considering what to write here. But 2021 will be a very telling campaign for the future of Aaron Judge in pinstripes.

Aaron Judge is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility and will cost the Yankees nearly $11 million. Pretty good deal, right? We’d say so … as long as he can stay healthy, which is the MAIN reason why the larger-than-life All-Star faces such a defining upcoming year.

If Judge, once again, can’t stay on the field, contract extension talks will be even further complicated than they are now. The 28-year-old, despite only becoming a full-time player in 2017, feels like he’s been the next Yankees captain-in-waiting for a decade. But injuries have halted every meaningful discussion surrounding him.

Since 2018, Judge has appeared in just 242 games out of a possible 384. That’s the only problem. When his bat is hot, he’s arguably the best in the game. His defense in right field is top-notch. Not many can compete with his all-around capabilities. However, guys like Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, George Springer and Christian Yelich easily get the nod over him because of his health issues.

If 2021 features another injury-shortened campaign, it won’t be the end for Judge, but the Yankees will likely find a difficult time making him their captain and/or keeping him as a franchise cornerstone. No team can pay a player who can’t stay on the field, especially the kind of money Judge should earn because of his astute production in limited appearances.

The bottom line: Judge needs two full healthy seasons to earn the big contract extension from the Yankees and likely become the next captain. It’s hard to envision it any other way when you consider how tight the Bombers are seemingly getting with their expenses.

We sure hope we’re excessively rising in 2021. That’s all we’re gonna say.

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