SAN DIEGO -- The New York Yankees are baseball's flagship franchise and have been since the 1920s. You don't have to be a fan of theirs to believe that. You only have to look at the championships, the names on the plaques at Cooperstown, the merchandise sales and so much else.
That isn't to say the Yankees are the only team that matters, but it's important to keep their stature in mind when thinking about how to assess the news that Aaron Judge has agreed to a nine-year, $360 million deal to spend his 30s donning pinstripes in the Bronx.