Now that Aaron Judge is a free agent, it allows fans of several other teams to dream big.
What if the slugger, who broke Roger Maris’ hallowed American League home run record earlier this month, is truly open to moving on from the New York Yankees?
Judge bet on himself by turning down an offer from the Yankees worth a total of $213 million before spring training. That bet is about to pay off handsomely.
Never mind Judge’s woeful postseason, when he went 1-for-16 (.063) with four strikeouts in a four-game sweep at the hands of Houston after hitting 4-for-20 (.200) with a pair of home runs in a five-game series win against Cleveland.
Judge’s pending free-agent haul was cemented during his 62-home run regular season. He also led the league with 131 RBIs and 133 runs scored.
He is favored to remain in pinstripes, but several big-market teams are expected to make a serious run as Judge is projected to command $350 million – or more – on the open market.
That could be led by the Giants, who have long been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Judge. The 30-year-old grew up two hours east of San Francisco in Linden, Calif. before starring at Fresno State and originally being drafted by the Oakland A’s.
The Giants lead a list of nine potential MLB destinations being offered by SportsBetting.ag if Judge does not return to the Yankees.
Aaron Judge Next Team Odds*
Giants +200
Mets +250
Dodgers +350
Astros +600
Rangers +800
Red Sox +800
Blue Jays +1000
White Sox +1000
Phillies +1300
*If Judge leaves the Yankees
Judge insisted on Sunday that he has put no thought into where he might play next season, although he did reference the Yankees’ spring training offer.
“I’ve been clear about that since I first wore the pinstripes,” Judge said of his goal to remain with the Yankees. “But we couldn’t get something done before spring training. Now I’m a free agent. We’ll see what happens.”
–Field Level Media