"Should be getting $100M a year!"; "Nope, Juan Soto is overpaid" - Fans split on Aaron Judge’s value in light of $360M contract with Yankees

A simple question from @SleeperYankees on X, “Is Aaron Judge UNDERPAID?” reignited the ongoing debate over the New York Yankees captain’s nine-year, $360 million contract.

The deal, signed ahead of the 2023 season, pays Judge an average of $40 million per year, one of the highest annual salaries in Major League Baseball.

The discussion gained traction as fans compared Judge’s deal with the recent wave of megacontracts around the league, particularly Juan Soto’s record-setting agreement and other top-of-market salaries.

Judge’s contract ranked among MLB’s biggest when he signed it, but the market has shifted since then, especially after Soto’s record deal sparking fresh debate about whether his salary now undershoots his value.

Others pushed back, pointing out that $40 million per year still puts Judge near the top of the pay scale and that long-term contracts come with built-in risk. Those opposing viewpoints shaped much of the online reaction.

“Should be getting 100 million a year!!!!” one fan wrote.

Mike Durante

@mikedurante2525

@SleeperYankees Should be getting 100 million a year!!!!

“Nope, Soto is overpaid,” another fan said.

“Yeah, he’s worth at least Soto’s contract,” one fan commented.

“He is the greatest right handed hitter OAT he’s under paid till someone surpasses him,” another fan wrote.

“compared to Vlad and Soto. Yes. I wonder if the Yanks give him some type of bonus,” one fan tweeted.

“Judge is mid he’s paid fairly,” another fan said.

Judge caped historic season with third MVP, joins elite company in MLB record books

Aaron Judge capped off one of the best seasons of his career by winning his third MVP Award, earning 17 first-place votes and edging Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez.

The 33-year-old batted .331 and had a league-leading 53 home runs for the Yankees, becoming only the third player in MLB history to win a batting title with at least 50 home runs, joining Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx.

When asked what winning a third MVP Award meant to him, Judge said it felt “pretty wild,” but said he tried to not think about awards during the season.

“I try to keep my head down through all 162,” he said, standing alongside his family. “Do whatever I can to help the team win, give it your all, and then wake up and do it again.”

Raleigh, who finished second and earned 13 first-place votes, received praise from Judge as well.

“It’s always fun playing against those two,” Judge said of Raleigh and Ramírez. “When we play Seattle, the main objective is making sure Cal doesn’t beat you, he can beat you from both sides of the plate.”