What’s Next For Judge?
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With that final ground out to Astros closer Ryan Pressly, two emotions were strongly felt in the Bronx. First, the Yankees just got swept by their American League rivals, the Houston Astros, losing the ALCS to them for the third time in six years. However, this one was especially painful, because this team limped their way to the ALCS. The Yankees completely collapsed and Houston danced all over them, finishing the job in four straight games. Second, Aaron Judge is now officially a free agent. This was not what the Bronx faithful wanted to see on Sunday night from their Golden Boy. As the last batter of the game, he hit a wimpy ground ball to solidify the Yankees getting swept against a team they may possibly despise even more than the Red Sox.
Yes, Judge is a shoe-in for the AL MVP because of his performance during the regular season, but now the biggest question in baseball is where Judge will end up next year and evidently for the long term. No one really cares about the World Series now that Houston is in it yet again, except for maybe Houston fans such as Travis Scott. The Phillies are definitely carrying the hopes of all baseball fans that they can prevent another Astros victory.
However, many Yankees fans fear that the final ground ball to Pressly was the last at bat for Aaron Judge in pinstripes. All season Judge has been the topic of lots of discussion. Mainly for the incredible MVP season he has had, but also for the fact he and the Yankees never signed a contract extension, and because plenty of teams are interested in the thirty year old’s services. Teams such as the Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and even the New York Mets are rumored to be in on these discussions. Though most would think there's no problem with the Yankees resigning Judge to a long term contract. Although this is still the most likely option and the Yanks will have the first shot at negotiating a deal, these four other teams still have a strong chance of getting the big man’s John Handcock come the 2023 season.
The Mets had a good year, better than most would expect. They made the postseason this year and have talents such as Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom to surround him. Yes, the Padres sought to it that the Mets went out in the NL Wild Card round, but add Judge into the mix and maybe that would give the Mets a better chance at making a run for a championship.
Meanwhile, both Boston and San Francisco didn’t have a great season in 2022. Beantown’s star pitcher Chris Sale was battling injury all year. Overall, the Red Sox have a pretty good roster, but are in the toughest division in the MLB. The Sox are in need of an All Star outfielder, considering that they shipped Mookie Betts to LA a couple of years ago. Also J.D. Martinez has been cold since the Sox won the World Series in 2018. So the Sox could use reinforcement in the outfield and in the batter's box.
On the other hand, The Giants have a roster decent enough for a .500 season, but nothing superstar worthy. Add Judge into the Giants lineup and maybe the bats can start getting hot, and the Giants can usher in a new era of dominance like they had in the early 2010s. Also, Judge was a Giants fan growing up and was raised in California, so maybe he will want to return home and be the hero of the team he loved as a kid.
Finally there are the Dodgers. This team at first glance doesn’t need Judge with names like Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, Trayce Thompson, and former Yankee Joey Gallo, who make up the Dodgers outfield. However, the DH has now been adopted in the NL and pitchers no longer hit. Also, Joey Gallo is now also a free agent who has continued to under-perform in a Dodgers uniform, so they might have room to get Judge as a DH and play him like the Red Sox used David Ortiz for years. This could work wonders for Los Angeles and could possibly help them from having another poor showing and early playoff exit like they had this season.
All we can do now is watch and wait until The Judge has made his decision. Grab your popcorn and have a seat. It's gonna be a great show no matter what happens, because the Aaron Judge saga is sure to start heating up as the weather gets colder as the off-season moves on.