MLB home run champion Judge voted player of the year by peers
Yankees outfielder's 62 homers broke Roger Maris' long-standing AL record
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was voted player of the year and the American League outstanding player by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards from the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Judge set an AL record with 62 homers, breaking the previous mark of 61 set by New York's Roger Maris in 1961.
St. Louis first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was voted National League outstanding player, the union said Friday.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, a member of the union's eight-man executive subcommittee that was heavily involved in labour negotiations, was selected Marvin Miller man of the year, given to a player whose leadership inspires others.
WATCH | Judge hits record-breaking home run:
Former pitcher Steve Rogers, a longtime special assistant on the union's staff, was given the Curt Flood Award for advancement of players' rights and devotion to the union.
Houston's Justin Verlander was selected the AL outstanding pitcher and the AL comeback player, Miami's Sandy Alcantara the NL outstanding pitcher and Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. the NL comeback player.
Seattle outfielder Julio Rodriguez was AL outstanding rookie and Atlanta pitcher Spencer Strider the NL outstanding rookie.
Cashman planning Judge contract talks
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is working on a handshake agreement following his contract's expiration and will push ahead with talks aimed at re-signing Aaron Judge.
"We'd love to be able to bring Aaron Judge back and have him being able to maintain being a member of this franchise and the path he's currently on is Hall of Fame-like," Cashman said at a news conference to discuss the path ahead from a season that fell short. "Nothing better than to have him continue to man right field for us and impact us on and off the field the way he has thus far."
Cashman, the general manager since 1998, and Aaron Boone, the manager since the 2018 season, spoke 12 days after the Houston Astros completed a four-game AL Championship Series sweep of New York. The Yankees haven't reached the Series since winning in 2009, their longest gap since 1978 to 1996.
Judge is eligible to become a free agent on the day after the World Series and can negotiate contract terms with all teams starting with the sixth day after the Series ends.
Ahead of opening day, Judge rejected a contract that would have paid him $213.5 million US from 2023-29. He finished tied for the major league lead with 131 runs batted in and was second in the AL with a .311 batting average.
"He's a fan favourite," Cashman said. "He interacts with our fans extremely well. He's respected within that clubhouse, goes about his business as good as you possibly can and is an elite performer and one of the game's best, if not the best player."
Judge had a $19 million salary this year and the 30-year-old is likely to command a long-term contract worth over $300 million.
Other Yankees free agents are pitcher Jameson Taillon; outfielder Andrew Benintendi; utility players Matt Carpenter and Marwin Gonzalez; and relievers Chad Green, Miguel Castro, Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman.
