NEW YORK - Back in late March, legions of Yankees fans and scores of media outlets wondered how Aaron Judge could turn down a $213.5 million contract extension.
By November, Judge will be ready to cash in on his sensational wager.
How high will the bidding go, and could the Yankees really let their Face of the Franchise walk away?
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As Judge, currently with 55 homers, moves toward Roger Maris' famous single-season Yankees record for home runs, here are 61 reasons why he should remain in pinstripes - in no particular order:
Whatever the price is, the Yankees can pay it. When they declare no one will outbid them, they follow through. This should be one of those times.
Once secured to a long-term deal, the Yankees can officially grant him the prestigious title of team captain, their first since Derek Jeter.
Not to be morbid, but there are only four monuments to Yankees players in Monument Park.
At this rate, no one else will wear Judge's No. 99 again. If he stays a Yankee, there's almost a certainty that his number is retired.
A permanent home address at Yankee Stadium comes with a unique crackling atmosphere, regularly playing before near-capacity crowds.
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Giving back has always been important to Judge, and a New York base provides more opportunities to expand.
OK, this hasn't happened in a while. But there's more reason to expect those results if Judge stays on a club with one of the game's highest payrolls.
No other team can match the iconic look of the Yankees uniform. Can you even picture Judge in, say, San Diego Padres green?
Versus any other boulevard in North America, there's no contest.
The New York Metropolitan area offers the best of everything. A great place for newlyweds, like Judge and his wife, to raise a family.
Judge has his own brand. And that brand is just better as a Yankee.
Not since Jeter has there been a Yankee so popular with their youngest fans, who fill the stands wearing his No. 99. That should mean something to management.
And the parents of those kids might not be so eager to pay expensive prices to see a Judge-less Yankee team, especially one that falls short again this October.
Judge is driving a lot of Yankee-related economy. And they're a much better show when he's the star attraction.
Judge knows what it's like to zap the electricity out of Fenway Park with a big home run. There's just nothing comparable to Yanks vs. Red Sox.
There's no one to win over. Judge is the homegrown star of the Yankees, having reached a special elite status. Anywhere else as a free agent, he's a highly paid import with outsized expectations.
They named the West Side Highway after Joe DiMaggio, who only played for one big-league team -- the Yankees.
Here's a chance to name a portion of it, Aaron Judge Drive!
With a bigger, longer-term contract comes the bonus of being hooked in on every major acquisition, with input and opinions that count.
When it comes to the city's MLB parks, only the Bronx offers inviting right field dimensions and the chance at more home runs.
Looks like a reality, but less likely with a free-agent exit.
If Judge gets to Cooperstown, he's in a Yankees cap forever. Maybe not, if he signs a 10-year deal with the San Francisco Giants.
It's home to Judge, but the Oakland Athletics won't be bidding, and San Francisco's Oracle Park isn't Yankee Stadium.
In franchise history, only Lou Gehrig (1934) and Mickey Mantle (1956) have done it, and Judge is in the conversation now.
That's New York City. No place else.
Automatically happens, at some point, and probably on more than one occasion.
An entrance at the Stadium? Sure. Gate 99.
Along with the ones named for Jeter, DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, etc.
On future Old-Timers' Days, Judge could enjoy the DiMaggio treatment (Jeter will get this, when he starts appearing), wearing a suit instead of a uniform.
As a Yankee, joining the storied likes of Berra, Mantle and DiMaggio.
Judge was in attendance recently. It's only played in New York.
You can get around better here than in L.A. or Bay Area traffic.
The Yankees hold the patent on that seating area. Or at least, they can claim it.
Filmed on the streets of New York. Rooting for multiple guest shots of Judge as a judge.
Who else would you want on the mic for those Judgian blasts!
Hires a five-star chef and creates the next top-rated restaurant in town.
Judge once liked the anonymity of walking around unnoticed in a place most New Yorkers avoid.
Now, Judge can afford to reside anywhere in Manhattan.
Judge's selling power as a pitchman, and a lucrative side income, is just better as a Yankee.
A better, more iconic World Series parade route than Sunset Boulevard.
Judge can buy an island here.
Six Yankees position players have claimed a World Series MVP. Judge would be in play to be the seventh.
Judge had the top-selling MLB jersey in his first three seasons and has never been out of the top seven.
Outside of a new location, would a Judge jersey remain that popular? OK, probably.
Recently opened in New York.
You can only receive the Sid Mercer/Dick Young New York Player of the Year award and the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town award (both previously won by Judge) by the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association.
And you can only accept those awards at the famous New York Baseball Writers' Dinner.
Judge's 54th homer this year was his 113th at home, tying him with Mark Teixeira for the most at the current Yankee Stadium. When it's all said and done, Judge might hold every offensive mark at the newer address.
If you're looking for a great residential address, here it is.
Same as above.
Also, same as above.
There are other fine places outside of Manhattan. Such as Brooklyn.
Let CC Sabathia be your real estate agent.
Hallowed real estate in Yankees history and Judge's most played position in 2022.
Want a Broadway show about your life and times? Stick around.
Of all the players drafted and signed by the Yankees, Judge has a chance to have the most home runs from that group by 2023 or 2024.
It wouldn't hurt to ask.
They don't say that about Houston.
Would probably be a competitive write-in candidacy
Is there a better ambassador to surpass Maris' mark, with all the due dignity and reverence for Yankees history, than Judge?
Better than anywhere else.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Aaron Judge is carrying the 2022 Yankees. Here are 61 reasons why he must stay in New York.