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The price tag to keep Aaron Judge in pinstripes was expensive ... but according to CC Sabathia, the outfielder was worth every penny of the $360 MILLION deal!

Judge finally decided to re-sign with the Yankees last week -- opting to stay with his original team instead of going to either San Francisco or San Diego -- and the move certainly didn't come cheap for NY.

The Yanks agreed to pay him $40 million per season for the next NINE years -- a massive contract for a 30-year-old.

But, when we got Sabathia with his wife, Amber, out at their PitCCh In Foundation charity event in New Jersey on Monday, the ex-Yankees star made it clear -- his old team didn't get fleeced in the pact.

"I think he got paid the perfect amount," CC said of Judge.

Of course, CC might be biased -- he was a teammate of Judge's for four years in the Bronx -- but a lot of people would agree nonetheless. Judge is coming off one of the greatest MLB seasons ever ... where he hit an AL record 62 home runs, batted .311, and won his first-ever MVP award.

As for what the Yankees have to do next this offseason ... Sabathia says they don't need to get Carlos Rodón to consider things a success -- given the way the Judge situation all unfolded.

"The biggest signing was to get Aaron Judge," he said. "And they got that accomplished. So, everything after that is just icing on the cake."

By the way, Sabathia's event Monday was super cool -- he and Amber helped 300-plus kids have an awesome holiday party at Space Events in Englewood ... that featured video games, bowling, dancing and more.

Before this sweet girl in her blue poncho turned into an actress and a YouTube influencer, she was just trying to stay dry at Niagara Falls before heading off to California State University to study journalism.

After she had a successful career in fashion blogging, she moved over to the world of social media, and she now has over 8 million followers. Her first music video gained over a million views, but that's nothing compared to her 11 million YouTube subscribers ... she's pretty much a social media queen, and that's just literally her life.

The hotel staffers Mark Curry accused of racial profiling have been suspended from their jobs ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, Mark claimed he was accosted by two employees over the weekend at The Mining Exchange hotel in downtown Colorado Springs ... and he posted video showing two staffers following him around.

Mark claims he left his room to go down to the lobby for some coffee when he was approached and asked if he was a hotel guest ... and in his video, he wonders out loud why other guests in the lobby aren't being asked the same questions.

A rep for The Mining Exchange tells TMZ ... "Employees involved in this matter have been suspended, pending further investigation."

Mark's video also showed him being asked for his ID by an attendant working the front desk.

Ben Simmons has found himself in the middle of Tory Lanez's high-profile assault case -- and now, the Nets superstar is defending himself after he was accused of messing around with Megan Thee Stallion.

On Monday, the defense gave their opening statement in Lanez's trial -- where he's accused of shooting Meg in L.A. in 2020 following an argument. While addressing the jurors, Tory's attorney suggested it could've been Meg's friend, Kelsey Harris, who fired the shots, after the women were feuding.

Enter Simmons.

The defense claims Meg had a history of hooking up with men Kelsey's been with ... and accused her of doing just that with the NBA star, which they say caused a huge argument between the women.

But 26-year-old Simmons was quick to shut it down ... posting a viral video on his Instagram story of Rick Ross yelling, "Accusations. These are false accusations," during a segment with Swerve in Our Glory when the Florida rapper visited AEW Dynamite.

Ben didn't name Meg, Tory, or Kelsey in the post, but, c'mon.

It's only day 1 of the trial, but it's evident the defense's strategy is to convince the jurors that it was Kelsey who fired the gun, not Tory.

Even though the trial just started, it's a critical piece of information. If the defense can create reasonable doubt that Kelsey, and not Tory, fired the shots ... he'll be found not guilty.

Ashley Benson says a man has been stalking and harassing her and threatening to kill himself ... and now she's asking a judge for help.

The actress beelined it to court and filed for a protection order against a 20-year-old man she claims has been incessantly seeking a sexual relationship with her and is threatening to shoot himself if she doesn't at least interact with him, even though she says she never even gave him her number.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ashley claims the guy keeps blowing up her phone ... and she says he's also messaging her incessantly on social media.

It sounds pretty scary ... Ashley claims the man often references the use of a gun ... and she says the guy sends her audio messages where he's sobbing and threatening to kill himself.

Ashley claims the man has been harassing her online for over a year but she says things ratcheted up recently ... she says he's tracked her location using social media and approached her in a frightening and threatening manner.

AB says she blocked the guy's phone number and he responded by calling her from 40 different numbers.

Former cryptocurrency billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried has been arrested in the Bahamas ... and it appears his legal woes are only gonna get worse, with expected criminal charges in the United States.

Bahamian authorities announced SBF's arrest Monday, and Bahamas Attorney General Ryan Pinder added the U.S. filed criminal charges against the FTX founder. SBF was scheduled to appear Tuesday before a Congressional committee for a hearing on the crypto company's recent multi-billion dollar collapse.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, says SBF was arrested "at the request of the U.S. Government, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY."

It's unclear what criminal charges SBF is facing ... but Williams says the indictment will be unsealed Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, the Bahamas AG says the U.S. is likely to request SBF's extradition.

As you know ... FTX was once one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges, recently being valued at $30 billion before becoming insolvent and filing for bankruptcy.

Takeoff's alleged murderer, Patrick Xavier Clark, wants a taste of freedom at a discount ... asking a judge to reduce his bail so he can afford to get out from behind bars.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ, Clark filed a motion in Texas Monday to reduce his $2 million bail ... his attorney, Carl Moore, says it's too much for his client to afford.

The alleged gunman wants a reduction to $100K, which he thinks he can pull together with the help of a professional bondsman. If granted, Clark says he'll stay with his parents, where he says he's always lived.

His legal team also says he'll wear a GPS monitor and abide by any curfew that may be imposed by the judge. Clark is also willing to surrender his passport and says he'll willingly follow any "no-contact" order with respect to certain people.

Takeoff was shot and killed outside a Houston bowling alley in November. Clark was arrested and charged with the murder of the Migos rapper.

The court is finally hearing opening arguments in the Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion case  ... and both sides are laying out what happened the night Meg was allegedly shot in the foot by Tory.

Prosecutors kicked things off on Monday -- claiming that Tory fired 5 shots on the evening of July 12, 2020, striking Megan in both feet -- claiming Tory was set off after Megan insulted his skills by sarcastically calling him a "beautiful artist."

According to the prosecution, Tory's text messages after the fact admitting to being too drunk and apologizing profusely are pretty damning evidence.

You'll recall ... after leaving Kylie Jenner's pool party, Megan, Tory and Kelsey were said to have gotten into a black SUV with a man named Jauquan Smith, who prosecutors say drove Tory to the party and brought a 9mm handgun.

According to prosecutors, following Megan's alleged diss, Jauquan pulled the truck over and Megan and Kelsey got out of the car ... when Tory is said to have fired the gun at Megan, instructing her to "dance bitch."

As for Tory's side ... they claim the pair was at Kylie's home for a pool party when things went south and Meg was asked to leave. It appears the defense is trying to make the jury believe Tory was not the trigger man.

Tory's attorney, George Mgdesyan, also argued Tory's DNA wasn't on the gun and that he was wearing a swimsuit during the alleged incident, asking the jury, "Where did he pull the gun from?"

Kelly Clarkson's home is apparently becoming a magnet for unwanted visitors ... she's asking a judge for court-ordered protection from a man she claims recently showed up multiple times at her place ... even pulling up in a semi-truck.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "American Idol" winner is requesting a temporary restraining order against a man named Victor Fernandez ... and Kelly also wants her family, nanny and house manager protected.

The singer's head of security, Michael Lopez, says Fernandez first showed up at Kelly's home on Thanksgiving, pulling up in a semi-truck and peering over her privacy gate and into her yard. Lopez claims Fernandez returned two more times on Thanksgiving, once in the semi-truck and later on foot, ringing the doorbell and claiming he was there to see Kelly.

In the docs, filed by Kelly's attorney, Ed McPherson, Lopez claims Fernandez came to the house on foot again on Dec. 3, speaking to house staff and telling them Kelly told him to meet her there, even though she says she doesn't have a clue who he is.

Another member of Kelly's security team, Ludwin Munoz, claims he spoke with Fernandez through the home's camera system during the December visit. Munoz claims Fernandez appeared irritated and confused when denied entry, allegedly saying, "This is the second time she has done this ... unless I am speaking to a scammer or something."

Kelly's security also claims Fernandez snapped photos of the family SUV when her nanny pulled up with her children in tow ... and the docs say police were ultimately called and took a report.

The singer's asking a judge to keep Fernandez at least 100 yards away from her home, job, car and her children's school and child care ... and Kelly says she's afraid of what Fernandez might do and fears he may cause harm to her or her family.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly recently got a different TRO against a woman she claimed made at least 18 unwanted visits to her home.

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes aren't going to show their faces on camera for the foreseeable future -- because ABC wants to make sure it's able to do a full review of their relationship before bringing 'em back ... TMZ has learned.

Kim Godwin, the president of ABC News, fired off an email to staffers updating everyone on the status of Amy and T.J.'s return to the anchor's desk.

The email, obtained by TMZ, reads, "I want to take a moment to address the on-going matter involving GMA3 anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach. I understand that the continuing coverage can be distracting from the incredibly important work our team does here at ABC News."

She adds, "Amy and T.J. will remain off-air pending the completion of an internal review, and there will be a rotation of anchors at GMA3 for the time being. It is my hope that we will continue to focus our energy on what we do best, and I want all of you to know how immensely proud I am of your hard work and professionalism."

We'd already broken a story about ABC's probe -- remember, we reported ABC brass wanted to get into the nitty-gritty to see if any company policies had been broken during their romance ... something that Godwin had gotten ahead of by saying this was all kosher.

Soccer reporter Grant Wahl's body was repatriated to United States soil on Monday ... two days after his shocking death at the World Cup in Qatar.

Department of State spokesperson Ned Price confirmed the news during press briefings just now ... saying U.S. ambassador Timmy Davis has been in constant communication with Wahl's family, and the embassy has been working nonstop to help fulfill their wishes in the days following the journalist's passing.

Price said an embassy consular officer accompanied Wahl's body and possessions to the U.S.

Officials told the AP Wahl's body was taken to JFK airport in New York.

As we previously reported, 49-year-old Wahl died after collapsing in the press box while attending the Argentina vs. the Netherlands match on Friday.

Emergency responders treated Wahl at the stadium for nearly 30 minutes before rushing him to a nearby hospital.

Wahl stated earlier in the week he was battling a bad case of bronchitis ... referring to his cough as a "death rattle."

Wahl's brother, Eric, posted an emotional video to Instagram after his passing ... claiming he believed foul play was involved due to Grant wearing a pro-LGBTQ+ shirt to the U.S. national team's first match last month.

"I do not believe my brother just died," Eric said on Friday. "I believe he was killed."

Wahl was briefly detained prior to the contest ... claiming security told him his shirt was "not allowed."

Minka Kelly and Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds are keeping their love fest going strong as the holidays approach, and what better place to show it off than the House of Mouse.

The newly-minted couple hit Disneyland this weekend for a very public outing, where they were cuddled up pretty much the entire time ... looking pretty smitten with one another.

DR was rocking a hoodie and an extra jacket and Minka had a pretty elaborate coat of her own with a pair of jeans and a baseball cap to top it all off.

It's definitely sweater weather in SoCal lately ... those winter temps are starting to set in -- below 65 degrees -- equivalent to the ice age for the area.

Anyway, Dan and Minka are continuing to embrace the cameras as boyfriend and girlfriend -- and they weren't shy at all about embracing each other either. Dan had his arm wrapped around Minka for much of their day date, and she was leaning into him a lot as well.

The two of them did all the Disney stuff you could imagine ... hitting rides, watching a parade and strolling through shops.

At one point while they sat for a meal with some friends in tow, Minka even snuck in a kiss on Dan's cheek. There was a lot of laughing and smiles between both of them -- so, yeah ... they look really happy together.

Unclear exactly how long the romance has been going on, but the first photos of them hanging out surfaced last month. Since then, they've been out and about all over town.

Diddy shocked the world when he revealed he had recently welcomed a new baby girl into the world ... and now we've learned more about the baby's mother.

According to the baby's birth certificate, Love Sean Combs was born October 15 in Newport Beach, CA. Diddy is listed as the father and 28-year-old Dana Tran is the mother. Dana goes by Dana Tee on most of her socials ... though it appears her Instagram was recently deleted.

Dana works in the cyber security industry and appears to be a SoCal native.

It's unclear exactly when Diddy and Dana met, or the extent of their relationship ... but obviously Diddy isn't hiding the fact he's a new dad.

He wrote Saturday, "I'm so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world. Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D'Lila, Jessie and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!"

Twitter is dumping more than just thousands of employees ... the company is also unloading hundreds of office supplies in an online auction.

The items -- ranging from a Twitter blue logo to computers and chargeable exercise bikes -- all went up Sunday with prices starting at $25. Of course, that's expected to rise -- especially since some of it is super pricey kitchen equipment.

There's also a Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine with a pump, a high-performance Task chair ... and a Sculpture Planter in the shape of a huge "@."

As you know, Elon Musk became CEO after buying the app for $44 billion. You'll recall, nearly half the workforce was slashed, and the fired employees filed suit against EM for violating California and federal laws.

Elon Musk is getting a frigid shoulder in San Francisco -- as if the Twitter sitch wasn't bad enough -- he got onstage with Dave Chappelle, and was practically shouted out of the arena.

The comedian was performing Sunday at the Chase Center, and toward the end of his set ... Dave brought Twitter's CEO up onstage as a special guest, which the S.F. crowd did not receive well -- raining a chorus of boos down on EM.

A few cheers could be heard as well, but as Dave noted ... it was mostly folks who weren't happy, but he kinda told them to shut it and tried to drown out the noise with a few jokes about how much he actually liked Elon, despite him being public enemy #1 online.

As for Elon ... well, he rolled with it as best as he could. He sarcastically asked Dave if this is what he was expecting -- and DC responded, "It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience."

That got a laugh, as did some other cracks from Dave about the tense situation -- and all the while, Elon just sorta stood around and took it. Some were expecting him to say more, as he does on Twitter, but in the end ... Dave wrapped it up by telling people there were better ways to express their protests with the man.

Another surreal moment ... when, at one point, Dave asked Elon to shout his old show's signature outro line -- "I'm rich, bitch!" -- which Elon did ... to mixed results. Fun times.

Ex-MLB pitcher T.J. House is introducing the world to his authentic self ... coming out as gay and announcing his engagement to his boyfriend.

The 33-year-old former Cleveland and Toronto southpaw shared the news in a lengthy post on social media ... saying, "I've struggled my entire life with being comfortable in my own skin."

"I have purposefully distanced myself from people for the sake of trying to protect myself. It's disheartening how one simple thing can change an individual's opinion of you in a matter of seconds. It has taken me years to wake up every morning and tell myself that you are loved for you, the one that's deep down inside that you've never truly let out."

House said he was always adored for being a pro athlete ... but the admiration he was receiving felt like a bandage covering a wound as he hid his identity.

"Deep down I wanted something more, I wanted to be loved not for what I did, but who I was."

"Shame has kept me quiet all these years," he added. "But Love has finally set me free."

House joins Billy Bean and Glenn Burke as the only openly gay former MLB players.

Following the passing of the Respect For Marriage Act, House decided to no longer live in secrecy ... starting with announcing his engagement to boyfriend Ryan Neitzel.