The New York Yankees formally announced that slugger Aaron Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million contract to remain with the club during a news conference on Wednesday morning, but also named Judge the captain.
Judge now becomes the 16th captain in franchise history, and the first captain to be named since Derek Jeter retired, having held the title of captain from 2003 all the way through the 2014 season.
“This is an incredible honor that I don’t take lightly,” Judge said, according to ESPN’s Joon Lee.
“It’s difficult to imagine the Yankees without Aaron,” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said.
“It’s a rare position to sign, draft and develop a player throughout their entire career,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “We’re proud to reintroduce Aaron Judge today.”