Aaron Judge reportedly left $40 million on the table by not signing with the San Diego Padres in free agency, but he'll more than easily make that up.
How? Let's forget about the more than 2% he'll save in taxes by remaining in New York City instead of moving to California. The more important part is that he'll most likely spend his entire career as a New York Yankee.
"Staying in pinstripes for life is worth at least $50 million to Aaron Judge off the field," said Ryan Schinman, founder of Mayflower Entertainment, a consultancy firm that matches brands with influencers. "If he goes to another team, the shine of what happened last season comes off. When you are a Yankee, you are relevant locally, regionally, nationally and globally."
Ken Goldin of auction house Goldin Co. — which is currently auctioning off Judge's 62nd home run ball — said staying a Yankee will be worth roughly $5 million per year for the life of his contract. Judge finalized a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees on Wednesday.
"Being a Yankee for life significantly increases his collectible marketing value," Goldin said. "Baseball traditionally has limited off-field marketing opportunities but I imagine this will put him at the head of endorsements for the rest of his career."
On top of being a lifetime Yankee, though, he'll need to win championships in order to maintain that $50 million figure, said collector Patrick Ryan.
"Being a lifelong Yankee is important, but it's also about winning," Ryan said. "Mariano Rivera gets $250 per signature, way more than his counterparts, and a lot of that is being a lifelong Yankee, but it's also about winning titles. Being a Yankee is better than switching, but he needs a ring."
