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Aaron Judge Reveals How Wife Samantha Bracksieck Played Major Role In Securing Yankees Historic USD 360 Million Contract
Aaron Judge couldn't stop smiling as he remembered his wife, Samantha Bracksieck, who urged him to pursue a new Yankees deal.
![Aaron Judge with his wife and family [Credit-Instagram@thejudge44]](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-07/1074041681_aaron-judge-with-his-wife-and-family-credit-instagramleomessi.jpg "Aaron Judge with his wife and family [Credit-Instagram@thejudge44]")
Aaron Judge has confessed that his wife urged him to pursue a new New York Yankees contract before he signed his eye-watering contract with one of MLB's most iconic organizations.
Judge was available for free agency before the 2023 season, and the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants were reportedly interested. The latter offered him a contract before the Yankees intervened to keep the slugger with the organization, and with a big pay rise, signing what was at the time the greatest free-agent contract in Major League Baseball history - a $360 million, nine-year agreement.
Aaron Judge on how his wife played major role in securing his New York Yankees contract
During a recent interview on the Casa De Klub podcast, the Yankees slugger said that Bracksieck pushed him to contact club owner Hal Steinbrenner when negotiations over his contract were stalled.
“I didn’t hear a whisper of it, not a word leading up to it [his being announced as captain],” Judge said when asked if the Yankees informed him of their decision prior to announcing it. “… It’s pretty surreal. For me, I never played the game to be that … to be the next captain. I just play to play. I play for my city, I play for the fans, I play for my family, I play for my teammates.”
“… It's funny. I was in California. Sam and I were going to Hawaii to celebrate our [wedding] anniversary. We had an 8 a.m. flight, so we're staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. We're back and forth on several proposals from other teams. What would you like to do? And I'm telling her that I want to stay in New York. "I do not want to go anywhere else."
"The discussions with New York were really not going anywhere. She was like, "Just call Hal up." Tell him how you feel. Tell him what you believe."
Aaron Judge was happy to get the contract
Judge stated that he "shot [Steinbrenner] a message" and the Yankees owner, who was on vacation overseas at the time, told him to contact him.
“So we call him and I’m just kind of laying it out there, like, ‘Hey, I don’t want to go anywhere. This is where I want to be if you can just add one more year to the deal. I’m set. I’m not looking for anything more, I just want one more year. I want to play this game for a long time.”
“And he’s like, ‘That’s it?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah’ — and he’s like, ‘Alright, sounds good.’ ”
Judge went on to explain that he and his wife were on speakerphone at the time and were really happy.
"And then all of sudden he's like, 'Oh by the way, we're also going to make you the next Yankees captain,'" Judge remembered that Steinbrenner told him he'd fit right in with former Yankees leaders Thurman Munson and Derek Jeter.
“I was more speechless about that than hearing about a nine-year deal. Sam was hitting me like, ‘You gotta be saying something,’ ” Judge said, laughing. “It was special.”
In November, Judge congratulated Bracksieck on finishing the New York City Marathon, as seen by images of the two sharing an embrace after the event. The pair got married in Hawaii in December 2021. They are quite quiet about their long-term relationship, however it is known that they dated in high school.
Also Read: Aaron Judge Reveals Why He Rejected USD 300 Million Offer By Rays During MLB Free Agency 2022
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