Yankees' Aaron Boone 'not surprised' Aaron Judge is MVP candidate despite contract drama

The New York Yankees and slugger Aaron Judge avoiding arbitration by settling on a one-year, $19 million contract for 2022 that includes regular-season and World Series Most Valuable Player incentives is more so a fresh chapter of a story than the end of anything. 

By multiple accounts, the Yankees aren't close to locking Judge down on a long-term deal, and the 30-year-old well on his way to earning a fourth career All-Star nod is also on track to hit free agency after the campaign. Judge entered Friday leading all of MLB with 27 home runs and slashing .304/.379/.658 with 53 RBI and a 1.037 OPS for the league's best overall team, and manager Aaron Boone told reporters before the evening game against the Houston Astros that he wouldn't have expected anything less from the MVP candidate despite the potential distractions that have existed since spring training. 

"At this point knowing him as long as I have, I’m not surprised at all," Boone said of Judge, per Phillip Martinez of SNY. "If I didn’t know him or the situation, maybe, but it’s who he is.

"I think it’s easy for him to separate [the game from the business]. He loves to compete between the lines with his teammates. That’s why he’s so revered in there. He’s about winning, he understands there’s a business side to it, but when he puts his uniform on and is in the clubhouse with these guys it’s about winning and that’s where his focus begins and ends." 

Boone admitted he's glad the contract situation for this season is "behind us and we can leave that portion of the show alone." However, ESPN's Buster Olney raised eyebrows earlier on Friday when he said that he does not "think" Judge will be with the Yankees at this time next year.