APNewsBreak: Judge to earn $622,300 after hitting 52 HRs

NEW YORK (AP) AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge will earn $622,300 in the major leagues as part of his one-year contract with the New York Yankees.

Judge, who led the AL with 52 home runs, is not eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2019 season. He agreed to a split contract in which his salary would drop to $272,250 in the unlikely event he is sent back to the minors.

New York uses a scale based on service time for its players not eligible for arbitration.

Yankees pitcher Luis Severino will make $604,975 after he went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA. His agreement calls for a minor league salary of $275,488.

New York also reached agreements with first baseman Greg Bird ($582,000/$272,500), pitcher Jordan Montgomery ($580,450/$228,413) and infielder/outfielder Tyler Austin ($558,600/$230,814).

With an influx of young players not yet eligible for arbitration, the Yankees are on track to get their payroll under the luxury tax threshold for the first time since the current tax began in 2003.

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