New York Yankees: Locking up Aaron Hicks was the correct move

The New York Yankees announced on Monday that they have signed outfielder Aaron Hicks to a 7-year extension worth $70 million. Was it the right call to extend Hicks?

The New York Yankees have signed outfielder Aaron Hicks to a long-term contract. Hicks may not have been the name you would have guessed to ink such a deal coming into the offseason, however.

The Yankees signed the 29 year-old to a 7 year, $70 million extension Monday morning. Hicks would have bene entering free agency following the 2019 season, and the Yankees decided to lock him up before he even got to that point.

While a lot of Yankees fans were hoping the team would have signed another outfielder this offseason in Bryce Harper, signing Hicks actually makes a lot more sense. Although Hicks is older and not on the same level as Harper, his contract is obviously more cost-effective than Harper’s would have been.

The Yankees also didn’t need him. The team won 100 games last season with Hicks in center field,  Giancarlo Stanton and Brett Gardner in left and Aaron Judge in right. In addition, they also have a young and talented yet unproven commodity in Clint Frazier.

While Hicks didn’t make the all-star team in 2018, he still had a very productive season.He hit 27 home runs and had 79 RBI’s, with a slash line of .248/.366/.467 and 4.7 wins above replacement (or WAR) in 137 games.

Was 7 years a lengthy extension for someone who turns 30 at the end of the season? Yes, and maybe the Yankees made a mistake in giving him that many years. It is well-known that the majority of professional athletes start to regress once they hit their mid-thirties, and MLB players for the most part, are no different.

With that being said, the Yankees were still very wise to sign a productive, smart player in Hicks and keep as much of their core together in order to make a run at multiple championships.

With him and Luis Severino both inked to extensions, it will be interesting to see who the Yankees lock up next. For now though, they did the right think in keeping one of their best and most underrated players.