The New York Yankees have repeatedly said their hope is to keep Aaron Judge. If they want to do that, they’ll have to fend off some competition.
You know the story by now. Judge turned down the Yankees’ extension offer before the season, a gamble that paid off as he set the American League home run record this season.
We’re not too far away from the market opening up, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman detailed who the Yankees are keeping an eye on.
"The Yankees envision the main competition coming from the Giants and maybe the Cubs and Dodgers (though LA is known to prefer shorter deals at higher AAVs; Bryce Harper didn’t go for that when they tried $160 million for four," Heyman, an Audacy MLB insider, wrote. "But of course, you never know in free agency."
The Giants part hardly is a surprise. Judge is from the Bay Area, and San Francisco has been linked to Judge in just about every rumor.
While the Dodgers haven’t been as prevalent in Judge rumors, it makes some sense. They’ve proven they’re willing to spend in free agency, and are a team that is always in contention and should continue to be for years. If getting back to the West Coast is something Judge values, the Dodgers could be well-positioned to check a lot of boxes.
Then there are the Cubs. They haven’t been competitive for a few years, but have expressed a willingness to spend this offseason, and general manager Jed Hoyer said Wednesday on 670 The Score that they will look to add power this offseason. The Cubs finished strong this season, and an offseason spending spree highlighted by Judge could theoretically put them back into a spot to compete.
Every team will have interest in Judge, but only some will be able to make a legitimate play for him. Regardless of which teams end up really involving themselves in the sweepstakes, the Yankees likely will soon have a bidding war on their hands.
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