The Hot Stove season is starting to live up to its name, with Aaron Judge's free agency expected to arrive at a resolution within the near future. In particular, Judge met with the San Francisco Giants this past Tuesday, and talks between the two parties were, reportedly “productive“. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers, with their unlimited resources, aim not to be outdone by their division rivals and have floated a considerable effort towards the 6'7 slugger.
The Dodgers have reportedly offered Judge a contract worth $214 million, per Héctor Gómez, which the 30-year old outfielder rejected. It's unclear how many years the Dodgers offered Judge, but given such a lower-than-expected offer, it makes sense that LA offered him a contract with a huge annual average value over a short period of commitment.
LA will have to step up its efforts if they were indeed serious in their attempt to pry away Aaron Judge from the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants. Giants players, including Joc Pederson and Brandon Crawford, have even reached out to Judge to try and convince him to move to the Bay Area, while the Giants have also called on Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to put in a good word for the franchise.
The Yankees seem to be in the running for Judge as well, and they may have a considerable advantage in Yankee Stadium given how favorable it is for right-handed hitters like the 2022 AL MVP. Yankees GM Brian Cashman said in recent weeks that retaining Judge is still the franchise's number one priority.
Cashman said that they are attempting to move quickly, perhaps to appease Judge, who earlier said that it might be an advantage for him to sign early so the team he signs with could move on to filling other spots on the roster.
At the end of the day, the Dodgers appear to be a distant third in the race for Aaron Judge's signature, but that won't be the end of the world for a team that won 111 games last season.
Follow Us
Subscribe