New York Yankees

An altercation between the Cleveland Guardians outfield and fans in the stands at Yankee Stadium overshadowed the New York Yankees' 5-4 walk-off win Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Guardians outfielder Oscar Mercado said the fans who were throwing items at the players "need to be held accountable" for their actions.

The situation started when Cleveland's Steven Kwan crashed into the left-field wall trying to make a catch on Isiah Kiner-Falefa's RBI double that tied the game.

Yankees fans appeared to be taunting Kwan as he was being examined by the training staff. Mercado and Myles Straw came to his defense.

After Gleyber Torres' walk-off single, fans began throwing items onto the field. Things even got to a point where Straw scaled the wall in right field to get in one fan's face.

Mercado said he was nearly hit in the face by a semi-full beer can, and Straw said Cleveland reliever Trevor Stephan got hit with an ice cream cone.

Straw went on to call Yankees fans "classless" and "the worst fanbase on the planet."

Other Guardians players and stadium security were able to intervene before things escalated after that, but right field was littered with garbage.

Mercado went on to say: "Say whatever you want to say. Do whatever you want to do. But at the end of the day, there have to be consequences for behavior like that."

Ethan Sears of the New York Post noted an umpire who was attempting to settle things down was hit by a thrown item.

"That can't happen," Kiner-Falefa told reporters. "I love the fans, love the atmosphere, but we win with class."

Several Yankees players, including Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, also made their way to the outfield in an attempt to calm the fans down.

Even though the situation did escalate, security appeared to get things under control fairly quickly without any injuries.

The Yankees scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Cleveland for their second straight win in the series.

At $7.01 billion, the New York Yankees are once again the most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball in 2022.

As seen in the graph tweeted by Sportico's Michael McCann, the Yanks lead the way, followed by the rival Boston Red Sox at $5.07 billion, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants round out the top five:

The same teams occupied the top five spots last year as well, although the Yankees saw their value rise from $6.75 billion in 2021.

In fact, the same 10 teams are represented in the top 10 of Sportico's list this year compared to last, with the only difference being that the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels swapped places. Atlanta went from eighth to seventh.

Of course, the Braves are coming off their first World Series championship since 1995.

As Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen noted, the average MLB franchise is worth $2.31 billion in 2022, although there is a sizable gap between the teams.

The five most valuable MLB teams are worth $25 billion in total, which means they are propping up the average value significantly compared to teams near the bottom of the rankings, such as the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics, all of whom have a value of $1.34 billion or lower.

The $2.31 billion average value is a 5 percent increase from last season with jersey advertisement patches and an expanded postseason playing a role, per Badenhausen.

That increase is aided by the fact that only two franchises—the Marlins and Baltimore Orioles—saw their value fall compared to last year. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros had the biggest rise in value since 2021 at 10 percent.

It comes as little surprise that the most profitable and valuable teams all reside in huge markets, including two teams from New York City (Yankees and Mets) and Los Angeles (Dodgers and Angels) inside the top eight.

The Yankees are traditionally at or near the top of such lists on an annual basis, as they are among the most valuable franchises not only in MLB but in all of sports.

For the past three years, the Yankees have finished second only to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on Forbes' list of the most valuable sports teams in the world, but Badenhausen reported that they are now the most valuable sports franchise in the world for 2022.

Despite their value, the success fans have come to expect has largely eluded them. Although the Yanks have reached the playoffs the past five seasons and haven't had a losing record since 1992, they also haven't won or reached a World Series since 2009.

The Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs and Giants have all won a World Series more recently, as have teams outside the top 10 in valuation, such as the Astros (11th), Washington Nationals (12th) and Royals (28th).

New York could also be in danger of losing superstar outfielder Aaron Judge to free agency during the offseason, as the sides have yet to come to terms on a new deal. But based on the fact that the Yankees are worth over $7 billion, letting him walk for financial reasons would be a tough sell to the fanbase.

New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge raised some eyebrows when he turned down the team's contract extension offer that would've paid him $30.5 million annually.

But even more perplexing is Judge's negotiation approach after Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Yankees were willing to "slightly raise" the average annual value of the extension. Heyman noted that the team was hoping for Judge to have "shown any inclination to come off his [Mike] Trout-like request, perhaps by a million dollars a year or so."

Trout is the highest-paid outfielder in MLB history with an average salary of $35.54 million.

The Yankees' offer of $213.5 million over seven years to Judge would've made him the second-highest paid among outfielders. But Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported last week that Judge's camp "wondered why he couldn't be paid through the same age (38) that Trout will be by the Angels, and for a similar amount."

Judge is set to turn 30 on April 26. Sherman noted that the Yankees stopped short of giving him a deal similar to Trout's because there are "concerns about Judge staying healthy, concern about how someone his size will age."

Judge has stated publicly that he would like to remain in New York on a long-term deal. By turning down a massive extension and setting himself up to be free to negotiate with 29 other teams next offseason, Judge is betting on himself that he'll be able to command the type of money bestowed on a three-time American League MVP like Trout.

For Judge to prove that, he will have to lead New York to its first World Series trip since its last title win in 2009. The Yankees have a 3-2 record entering Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Judge has yet to hit a home run or record an RBI this season.

Aaron Judge didn't request an extension from the New York Yankees surpassing eight years, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed the team put a seven-year, $213.5 million deal on the table, which would've added to the $17 million he's projected to get this season. 

The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Judge was looking to sign a nine- or 10-year pact that averaged $36 million annually.

The three-time All-Star acknowledged he was "disappointed" that he was unable to work out an agreement with the Bronx Bombers.

"I want to bring a championship back to New York. I want to do it for the fans here," he told reporters. "This is home for me. And I'm not getting that done right now. It stinks, but I got a job to do on the field. I got to shift my focus to that now and play some ball."

Judging a player's value in monetary terms is always subjective, because a player is worth whatever a team will pay him.

An entire package of eight years and $230 million doesn't seem to be insultingly low for Judge, though.

Rosenthal noted the $30.5 million average salary from New York's offer would've been the second-highest among outfielders behind Mike Trout, who signed a 12-year, $426.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels.

Judge owns a .276/.386/.553 slash line for his career. Since he entered the majors in 2016, he's fifth in wOBA (.393) and fourth in wRC+ (150), per FanGraphs. Throw in his plus defense, and the 29-year-old could plausibly command more money than New York was willing to include.

However, he's going to turn 30 in April, so it's fair to wonder how much longer his prime playing window will remain open beyond 2022.

ESPN's Buster Olney also spoke with multiple agents who expressed concerns stemming from Judge's 6'7", 282-pound frame.

"Judge is awesome, but I'm terrified of gargantuan people and whether they can stay healthy," one agent said.

"I just don't know if you can really predict how effective he's going to be when he gets into his mid-30s," another agent told Olney. "Because we've never seen a player his size. Will he be able to catch up to fastballs when he's in the back half of his next contract? I don't know. There are a lot of unknowns."

Regardless of the exact circumstances behind the breakdown in negotiations between the Yankees and Judge, they were unable to broker a deal.

The two-time Silver Slugger seems to be betting on himself, and he has the opportunity to justify that gamble through his performance on the field this year.

The New York Yankees and All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge didn't reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension before the team's first game of the 2022 season Friday, which was the slugger's deadline for a deal.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported earlier Friday the Yanks made an offer worth over $225 million, but their efforts fell short, which general manager Brian Cashman later confirmed:

Judge said he didn't want to discuss the negotiations any further until after Friday's home clash with the rival Boston Red Sox, which is slated for a 1:05 p.m. ET first pitch.

"We'll have an update for you guys. I've got a game to focus on right now," he told reporters. "So if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I'll see you guys after the game and we'll talk about that."

Judge is entering his final year of arbitration. He's eligible to become a free agent after the 2022 season if a deal with the Yankees isn't reached.

A contract package worth $225 million would rank tied for 15th in MLB with Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, per Spotrac.

Here's a look at the top five:

1. Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels): $426.5 million
2. Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers): $365 million
3. Francisco Lindor (New York Mets): $341 million
4. Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres): $340 million
5. Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies): $330 million

Judge would have an opportunity to crack that list if he hits the open market next winter.

The 29-year-old California native made his debut for the Yankees in 2016 and has established himself as one of MLB's top power hitters over the past five seasons. His 154 home runs between 2017 and 2021 ranked fifth in baseball.

He's earned three All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger Awards after being named the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year.

Judge owns a .276/.386/.554 career slash line, and his .940 OPS across 572 games for New York would rank second among all active players if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. He needs 535 more PAs, putting him on pace to join the list this year if he stays healthy.

It's hard to imagine the Yankees would let him get away, but the same thing was said with Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves at this time last year. Now he's a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, though Atlanta found a high-end replacement in Matt Olson.

Once a superstar hits free agency and can listen to pitches from other teams, including big-spenders like the Dodgers and New York Mets, all bets are off.

Getting a deal done before Friday's game would have allowed Yankees fans to breathe a sigh of relief, but it appears that won't be the case and the drama will only build from here.

The New York Yankees have reportedly offered Aaron Judge a contract that would make him the highest-paid position player in franchise history on an annual basis.

Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported the Yankees' offer would top the $27.5 million annual average of Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million deal. Other details—including, critically, the number of years in the offer—have not been made available.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the deal includes more than $200 million in guarantees. 

The Yankees are hoping to get a deal done before Friday's season opener against the Boston Red Sox. Judge said he plans to test free agency if a deal isn't in place by Opening Day.

“You think about it, but it comes down to: I’ve got games to win," Judge told reporters earlier this week. "It’s been a while since Yankee fans have held a championship in the city. I’ve got a job to do: to go out there and win it for them.”

Judge came up in the Yankees system after being drafted in the first round of the 2013 MLB draft. He's earned three All-Star selections and been one of the sport's best sluggers.

Staying healthy has been the biggest issue. Judge has missed 30 or more games in three of his five full MLB seasons; the 2021 campaign was just the second time he's touched 120 games in a season.

The Yankees are likely factoring Judge's injury risk into contract talks, limiting the length to protect the team against continued trips to the injured list. Judge, by contrast, is likely quick to show the Yankees his per-162 numbers that prove him to be one of the best all-around players in baseball. 

With the Steinbrenner family taking a more hardline stance regarding the luxury tax, a deal that would have already gotten done in the more freewheeling days is coming down to the last minute. 

The New York Yankees and Aaron Judge are still in ongoing contract discussions, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. However, it's unclear if they will come to terms on a deal ahead of the slugger's Opening Day deadline. 

The Bronx Bombers open up the 2022 season Friday against AL East rival Boston Red Sox.

Judge is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022 season. 

The right fielder told reporters earlier this week that he wasn't focused on getting an extension done, saying there's bigger things on his mind. 

“It’s been a while since Yankee fans have held a championship in the city,’’ Judge said, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. “I’ve got a job to do: to go out there and win it for them.”

It's unclear what type of deal Judge is looking for or what the Yankees are willing to offer, but Anthony Rizzo told reporters Thursday that his teammate should get a significant raise. 

"I've talked to him a little bit about it," Rizzo said, per SNY. "At the end of the day, it's what's going to make him and (his wife) happy. What his value is and what his worth is is extremely high in this game. He's a legitimate MVP candidate every single year, and he knows that."

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper is currently the highest-paid right fielder in baseball, earning $27.5 million this year, according to Spotrac. Chicago Cubs veteran Jason Heyward earns $24.5 million, while Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts makes $22.5 million. 

Judge has been a staple in the Yankees lineup since 2017, when he was named the AL Rookie of the Year. Last season, he slashed .287/.373/.544 with 39 home runs and 98 RBI in 148 games en route to an All-Star selection and Silver Slugger Award. He also finished fourth in AL MVP voting. 

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo offered his perspective on the business of baseball Thursday amid ongoing contract extension talks between star Aaron Judge and the Bronx Bombers:

Judge, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2022 campaign, has said he is not interested in discussing an extension once the regular season begins.

"After Opening Day, I got a job to do," Judge said Monday, according to ESPN's Marly Rivera.

"I got something to focus on. We'll see at the end of the year ... if it comes to that point; it is what it is. Either way, it's going to be one year or multiple years, so I'm not too worried."

The Yankees were scheduled to begin the season at home against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, but that game was postponed because of rain. They are now scheduled to play Friday afternoon.

Judge will land a massive contract.

The 29-year-old, who is a three-time All-Star, finished fourth in American League MVP voting after hitting 39 home runs with 98 RBI and a team-leading .916 OPS last year.

He sports a lifetime .940 OPS and a 162-game average of 45 home runs and 104 RBI.

It remains to be seen when Judge will land the deal and where he'll spend the next portion of his career.

Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman gave some insight on his Big Time Baseball podcast (h/t Logan Mullen of Audacy):

I think they’re going to get an extension. He’s got a smaller agent, I shouldn’t pick on them, but let’s face it, he’s got one huge player. Is he going to gamble and not take the big money, and I think they will offer big money.

Now, I heard early on that they were going to go north of (George) Springer, which is $150 million, they were going to go higher than that. Plus, he’s got about $19 million this year, so as an extension that would get you close to $200 million, more like 180, something like that, as an early offer. But I think they’ll go up from there and I think they will probably beat the $200 million mark. It depends on how much over 200 they go I think.

That's some hopeful speculation for Yankees fans, who witnessed Judge and Giancarlo Stanton drag an otherwise moribund offense to the playoffs last year. The season ended with a loss to the Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game, but Judge kept them in contention as other regulars struggled.

The Judge contract watch is ongoing, but the Yankees are also getting ready for their opener versus Boston. Game time is 1:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.

The New York Yankees have struck a deal with Amazon Prime Video for the streaming service to air 21 games live, according to the New York Post's Andrew Marchand. 

Amazon Prime Video will be the exclusive broadcaster for those games, which won't be carried on YES Network in local markets.

The move is likely to be unpopular among followers of the Bronx Bombers as it adds another barrier to being able to catch all of the team's games this season.

Marchand added that the Amazon Prime Video package "will be only available in the Yankees' local footprint" but couldn't confirm whether that extends to blacking out games for out-of-market fans on MLB's streaming service:

The Hollywood Reporter's Georg Szalai and Alex Weprin reported in 2019 that Amazon was claiming a 15 percent ownership stake in YES through a deal with the Yankees. Marchand alluded to how shifting Yankees games to Amazon Prime Video was an inevitability once that partnership was formalized.

This is part of a wider trend for MLB as the league segmented its national broadcasts further for the upcoming season.

MLB partnered with Apple to launch Friday Night Baseball, a doubleheader that will be exclusive to Apple TV+. The Wall Street Journal's Lillian Rizzo and Jared Diamond also reported March 11 that MLB and NBCUniversal were nearing an agreement to stream a select number of Sunday games exclusively on Peacock.

This means more revenue across the board, albeit at a cost of potentially alienating fans at a time when baseball's popularity isn't at its apex.

Some will question why this is necessary for the Yankees when the team is in a healthy place financially. Forbes values the franchise at an MLB-high $6 billion, a 14 percent rise over the past year.