Aaron Judge Free Agency: Where Could The Yankees Star Land?

After the final funeral dirges for the 2022 New York Yankees season have finished playing, attention will shift away from yet another playoff loss to the Houston Astros and toward the main topic of the upcoming winter: Aaron Judge’s impending free agency.

Aaron Judge will be the most sought-after player in the 2022–2023 free agent class because of his recent season in which he hit a record-breaking 62 home runs for the American League.  Aaron Judge will undoubtedly be the most talked-about free agent of the upcoming offseason, given his abilities, the success of his walk year, and the stature of the team for which he may have played his final game. Therefore, we’re here to discuss Aaron Judge and his upcoming free agency.

Yankees Attempt To Not Let Aaron Judge Leave

As previously said, Judge hit 62 home runs this season, but that won’t be the entirety of his brilliance in 2022. He batted.311/.425/.686 in 157 regular-season games, giving him an absurdly high OPS+ of 211. In addition to leading the AL in walks, Judge attempted the Triple Crown. He also enjoyed top-tier batted-ball analytics, as he has throughout his whole career, which indicates future exceptional productivity will be consistent.

There were numerous conversations in the lead-up to the 2022 regular season to keep Judge in the fold by signing him to a long-term agreement, as the Yankees brass has frequently said. The Yankees offered Judge a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension late in spring training, but Judge turned it down, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. Even before Judge’s famous 2022 season, that deal wasn’t competitive.

It will cost them their best player if they don’t give in because it wouldn’t be stunning if Judge ends up sporting a different uniform next season.

Possibilities Where Yankees Star Might Land, If Not Yankees

The most likely scenario is a return to the Yankees. Losing Judge would be a blow to an organisation that already feels depleted of vigour, even though they haven’t been spending in line with their nearly endless income lately. High-revenue teams like the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants will be in the race if Judge decides to sign with another team. The St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers, and – why not – the Houston Astros are a few potential dark horses. Of course, this is not a complete list, as every major free agent signing appears to attract one or more unexpected suitors. That most likely will be the situation with Judge when the hysteria starts, which is very short.

New York Mets – The failure of New York to acquire a powerful bat by the trade deadline is to blame for its late-season meltdown. In their two losses to the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card round, the Mets scored only three runs in total, and the Atlanta Braves limited them to just seven runs overall in a three-game sweep that determined the division.

Aaron Judge comes on. In addition to setting the single-season AL record for home runs, he recorded the fourth-highest fWAR (11.5) of any hitter since 1960. He has solid defensive skills in the outfield, hit.316/.455/.641 this year with runners in scoring position, and posted a 222 wRC+. After a dismal season, Cohen would be able to harm the Yankees and delight the Mets fan base by bringing Judge to Citi Field. Additionally, Cohen has more than enough cash to pay Judge more than any other baseball player.

Dodgers – Any time a highly-skilled, expensive player becomes available, the Dodgers are always discussed. However, it goes beyond a simple SEO trick to include “Dodgers” in a title. For Mookie Betts, they made a trade. The ink was put on Freddie Freeman. They signed David Price before those. Despite their early exit from the 2022 postseason, they will still be interested in Aaron Judge and want to enhance their roster.

Consider the outfield: Cody Bellinger has a 74 OPS+ over the previous three seasons; are they really going to give him another year of at-bats? They do have superstar Betts, yes. Trayce Thompson was a fantastic story, but it’s unlikely that he will provide the outfield with a long-term solution. Despite having options, the Dodgers are drawn to bringing Judge back to California in Dodger Blue, which has to be pretty appealing.

Giants- Ask practically anybody in the league which team could lure Judge away from the Bronx, and the Giants are almost always the first to respond. They have been searching for a franchise-defining talent to replace Buster Posey. Giancarlo Stanton and Bryce Harper were both targets for San Francisco in recent years, demonstrating the Giants’ willingness to pay a top player.

The Giants have lots of financial flexibility with only $92 million in wages committed in 2023 — a sum that will probably decrease to $70 million if/when Carlos Rodón opts out — and $20.5 million guaranteed in 2024. It should be noted that Judge is from Linden, California, which is not too far from Oracle Park. Aaron  Judge may not consider returning home when making decisions, yet it could prove to be a selling point for the Giants.

 

 

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