Brian Cashman realizes Aaron Judge struck gold with his record-setting season, raising the price for the Yankees to keep their star slugger.

In the hours before Opening Day, Judge rejected a contract that would have paid him $213.5 million over seven seasons from 2023 to '29. He is eligible for free agency and will command far more after setting an American League record with 62 homers, tying for the major league lead with 131 RBIs and just missing a Triple Crown with a .311 batting average.

"There's a pot of gold there," Cashman, the Yankees GM, said Sunday ahead of the division series against Cleveland. "It's yet to be determined what the gold -- how much it weighs -- but it's a pot of gold, no doubt about it. So good for him. It was already a big pot and, obviously, it'll be bigger."