Where will Aaron Judge land this offseason? After hitting an American League record 62 home runs in the 2022 MLB season, the New York Yankees outfielder is set to become a free agent after failing to agree to terms on a new contract. Despite Judge giving cryptic answers about his future all year long, the Yankees remain the favorite to sign him, but other teams have emerged as potential suitors, including the San Francisco Giants.
Check out the end-of-season odds where Judge will play next season, via DraftKings:
Judge fell just short of a Triple Crown in 2022, leading the AL in home runs and RBIs (131) but finishing second to Luis Arraez of the Minnesota Twins for the batting title (.316-.311).
After being swept by the Houston Astros in the ALCS, Judge revealed very little when speaking about his future.
“That’s all going to run through my agent,” Judge said at Yankee Stadium, via NJ.com. “I haven’t even thought about the next step yet. But like I said, we’ve got time to figure it out. I’ve never been in this spot before.”
Asked if he hopes to remain with the New York Yankees, Judge was similarly vague, but added a small jab at the end of his comment.
“Yeah,” Judge said. “I’ve been clear on that since I first wore the pinstripes. We tried to get something done before spring training, and now I’m a free agent, and we’ll see what happens.”
The San Francisco Giants have emerged as the biggest threat to the Yankees. Giants fans have been clamoring for their team to make a move to bring him back home to the West Coast, and the brass has done very little to quiet the noise.
"As you know, we have a lot of flexibility coming into this offseason and we're well aware of the (free agent) shortstops and the person who can hit in the Bronx that is out there," Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said in his end-of-season press conference.
MLB free agency begins Nov. 10, and while all eyes will be on Aaron Judge, he'll likely take his time before making any decision.
