There’s a decent chance that Aaron Judge only has 70 games left as a New York Yankee.

Judge, of course, is a free agent at season’s end, and if he continues playing as the MVP he has been so far in 2022, he’s in for a big pay day.

Judge has said before he’s not exactly afraid to leave the Yankees, but at Monday’s All-Star media availability in Los Angeles, the now five-time All-Star made it known he wants to stay in the Bronx.

“I want to play for the Yankees. I want to be here for a long time.”

Judge and the Yankees could not agree on an extension before Opening Day – the outfielder declined a seven-year deal worth north of $230 million. They did settle at $19 million before an arbitration hearing, but that’s as far as they’ve gotten.

"If it works out, it works out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s out of my hands," Judge said. "I can’t really control that kind of stuff. For me, it’s just been about focusing on the game and playing the game, and when I’m a free agent and we decide where we go, we’ll figure all that out later.”

Of course, Judge took a gamble on himself (that seems to have worked out quite well) by declining that deal. He’s probably staring upwards of $300 million in the face come the offseason.

“I don’t live in fear. Money’s never been the reason why I play this game. This is a gift that I have, I try to go out there and have fun and use this gift to the best of my ability. Everything else will take care of itself. That’s why I got agents. That’s why I got family supporting me, helping me make the right decisions. Ultimately, all that stuff will get taken care of if it’s in New York or if it’s not in New York. It’s nothing for me to worry about or front about. It’s gonna handle itself.”

Judge currently leads the majors with 33 home runs, the most by a Yankee at the All-Star break. His 74 runs scored and 209 total bases also lead the majors. His .983 OPS is third in baseball behind only Yordan Alvarez and Paul Goldschmidt.

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