Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees remain alive in the postseason, but free agency rumors persisted throughout the season after he rejected a contract extension worth a reported seven years and $213.5 million at his Opening Day deadline.
By all accounts, Judge and his agent, Page Odle, maintained their stance of not further discussing a contract extension during the season.
That has the 30-year-old in line to be the top free agent this winter, with the class also including Trea Turner among a deep crop of shortstops.
According to Mark Feisand of MLB.com, there’s some belief the Dodgers will prioritize possibly signing Judge in free agency instead of retaining Turner:
That said, there has been a lot of talk that the Dodgers are prepared to let Turner walk in order to make a big play for Judge, a scenario that could take the NL West champions out of play for the shortstop.
Betting on himself paid off in spades for Judge, who led the Majors in runs (133), home runs (62), RBI (131), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), on-base plus slugging (1.111), OPS+ (211) and total bases (391). He additionally led the American League with 111 walks, and was second with a .311 batting average.
Judge narrowly missed out on the triple crown but surpassed Roger Maris’ Yankees home run record and set a new AL high with 62 homers.
The Dodgers payroll for the 2023 season has significant salary coming off, which would leave them in position to make an aggressive run for Judge, Turner or another marquee talent.
However, if the Dodgers do not re-sign Turner, it would leave them with a significant void at shortstop. They conceivably could address it by moving Gavin Lux back to his natural position, or giving Chris Taylor a chance to man shortstop rather than continuing in a utility role.
How would Aaron Judge fit on Dodgers roster?
The universal designated hitter allows for some flexibility if the Dodgers sign Judge, but the domino effect could involve Mookie Betts sliding over to center field. Though, Judge has also played 102 career games (96 starts) in center, including 78 (74 starts) there this year.
Regardless of how the outfield would be pieced together, the Dodgers signing Judge may also bring Cody Bellinger’s tenure with the team to a close. He’s eligible for a final year of salary arbitration in 2023 but has been speculated as a non-tender candidate.
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