As 2022 draws to a close, it’s good to be Aaron Judge. After leading the New York Yankees to the MLB playoffs and breaking Roger Maris’s American League single-season home run record by slugging 62, the 30-year-old outfielder won the AL Most Valuable Player en route to free agency.
The Yankees tried to lock up Mr. Judge early during their last campaign with a widely reported eight-year offer for more than $230 million. The centerfield turned down that payday, opting to sign a one-year deal for $19 million before fielding new contract offers at season’s end.
After his monster 2022 performance, Mr. Judge is in position to sign for more than the $400 million mega-contract extension inked in 2020 by Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout. Staring down nearly half a billion bucks, Mr, Judge can take his time and ponder offers from the handful of big-market teams able to afford him.
Wherever the baseball bashing giant chooses to play, he’ll need a place to hang his mitt. Considering that Mr. Judge is an avid golfer who considered pursuing the little white ball professionally before he opted to bash Mr. Rawlings around, there is a listing in each of his potential destinations that could help recruit and lock up the services of the Silver Slugger winner for years to come:
If He Signs With the New York Yankees
Water Mill, New York
$64.99 million
Staying in pinstripes seems like the path of least resistance and potentially highest profit for Mr. Judge. Still, there might remain bad blood between the outfielder and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. The latter broke an unwritten rule of player salary negotiation by making public the salary Mr, Judge declined—painting New York’s No. 99 as greedy and disloyal to a demanding fan base.
If Mr. Judge forgives and forgets, he can tee it up on multiple Long Island golf courses an easy drive from the Rose Hill Compound in Water Mill, a beach town in New York’s posh Hamptons. Sitting on 12.75 acres with 730 feet of water frontage on Hayground Cove, the estate includes a 4,455–square-foot main house; a 1,520-square-foot guest residence; a 216-square-foot pool house with a spa; a 500-square-foot boat house with a private dock; a separate four-car garage; and a full clay tennis court. Built in 1904, the main house includes six bedrooms, six full bathrooms and two half bathrooms, seven wood-burning fireplaces and a porch that wraps around the home’s western exposure.
The Rose Hill Compound’s location between Southampton and Bridgehampton would leave Mr. Judge a manageable distance from Long Island’s unique collection of elite golf courses, including Bethpage Black, Shinnecock Hills, Friar’s Head and the National Golf Links of America. While the house sits more than two hours from Yankee Stadium, it’s certain Mr. Judge’s salary could cover a helipad or two.
If He Signs With the Los Angeles Dodgers
Beverly Hills, California
$79.5 million
It seems every other big-name free agent in baseball signs with the Dodgers as the team shamelessly adds to their leviathan payroll. Still, all of that star power brought Chavez Ravine only one World Series title in more than three decades. Hoping Mr. Judge would finally put L.A. over the top, the franchise is pushing hard for him to visit Hollywood.
Hidden away in a small canyon like Dodger Stadium itself, this mansion covers 6.2 acres with a 30,500-square-foot home comprising 12 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms.
In addition to a library, full basketball and tennis courts, home theater, wine cellar, cigar lounge and gym, Mr. Judge would enjoy his own five-hole golf course and driving range on property. While Los Angeles does suffer from a dearth of elite golf courses for a warm weather city its size, it’s a good bet the nearby Los Angeles Country Club would take the slugger in as a member.
According to Lauren Cluley, a Coldwell Banker listing agent, the estate offers everything an athlete desires. “As a Red Sox fan myself, I don’t think it should take too much convincing for Mr. Judge to leave the Yankees,” Ms. Cluley says. “But, it wouldn’t hurt him to come home to an extremely private estate on more than 6 acres in one of the most famous cities in the world.”
If He Signs With the San Francisco Giants
Palo Alto, California
$53.9 million
Mr. Judge is a native of Sacramento and attended Fresno State, so northern California is home. He’s still close with his family, giving his record-tying 61st home run ball to his mother for safekeeping. Pouncing on that hometown appeal, and needing star power to fill the seats of Barry Bonds’ former stomping grounds, the Giants already welcomed Mr. Judge in for a recruitment visit in November.
If returning as the hometown hero proves too much for Mr. Judge to resist, this Los Trancos Road property would set him up in the midst of great California golf destinations such as Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, Quail Lodge, Silverado, Half Moon Bay and The Presidio. The four-bedroom, seven-bath Palo Alto home includes its own golf practice area; an indoor ice hockey rink that can be repurposed for tennis; a pool and spa; a rock climbing wall; a full guest house; a pool house; a home theater; and a gym.
