All Rise is in a high rise.
Fresh off signing a massive nine-year, $360 million contract to remain with the New York Yankees, reigning American League MVP and newly minted team captain Aaron Judge and his wife Samantha Bracksieck have purchased a penthouse at the recently completed Cortland at 555 West 22nd Street in Chelsea, the New York Post reported.
The 25-story building has three floors of penthouses, none of which have hit the market. Judge’s penthouse, according to the outlet, is 7,000 square feet, with high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Hudson River.
There was no price attached to the acquisition, though two units on the building’s 22nd floor fetched a combined $40 million, the Post reported, citing StreetEasy.
The building, designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Olson Kundig, has a screening room that doubles as a performance space with a stage, an interactive virtual reality room, game room, maker space for children; a spa with a 75-foot pool, sauna, yoga and pilates studio and treatment room; and a golf simulator.
It wasn’t a certainty that Judge would be laying down roots in Manhattan when the Yankees’ season ended last year at the hands of the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.
Judge bet on himself by declining the Yankees’ best offer in the spring of 2022. He responded with a career year, slugging an American League record 62 home runs and driving in 131 runs, to go along with a 1.111 OPS and 10.6 WAR, according to Baseball Reference. Several teams in the off season wooed Judge, including the San Diego Padres, who reportedly offered north of $400 million to secure the services of the 6-foot-7 slugger.
He’s off to a fast start this year, having hit five home runs with eight RBIs and a .294 batting average through 14 games for the 8-6 Yankees.
Judge isn’t the only New York baseball player to be active in the real estate market,
In March, Mets center fielder Brandon Nimmo bought a five-bedroom home in Old Westbury for $5 million.
Meanwhile, Mets pitcher Max Scherzer bought a waterfront estate in Jupiter, Florida, near his current home.
— Ted Glanzer