Aaron Judge returning to New York Yankees

NEW YORK - Slugger Aaron Judge has reportedly agreed to return to the New York Yankees.  Various sources say that he has agreed to a nine-year deal to stay with the club.

Judge will reportedly earn $40 million per season, the highest average annual payout for a position player.  The contract trails only Mike Trout's $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels and Mookie Betts' $365 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the biggest in baseball history.

FOX baseball field reporter Ken Rosenthal first reported the news. Other media outlets then also reported news of the deal.

Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees runs to the dugout after the fifth inning against the Houston Astros in game four of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 23, 2022. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Judge his an American League record 62 home runs last season and was named the American League MVP for the season.

Judge, the tallest MVP in major league history, also led the majors in runs (133), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS (1.111), extra-base hits (90) and total bases (391) to help the Yankees win the AL East. He tied for the big league lead with 131 RBIs and was second in the AL with a .311 batting average.

There had been reports that Judge was going to sign with the San Francisco Giants.  Those reports appear to have been false.

Judge, 30, was drafted by the Yankees in 2013 and has spent his entire career with the organization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.