Dodgers Emerge As One Of The Favorites To Acquire Aaron Judge According to LA Insider
Lots of high-profile players hit the market this year including Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, Jacob DeGrom, and more. Clayton Kershaw, who was also a free agent this year, is finalizing a deal to return to the Dodgers for his 14th year but a deal with Aaron Judge might also be on the way as well.
But it won't be easy. Although the Dodgers have the money and the track record of making big trades happen, lots of other teams are in the running for the four-time All-Star.
In a recent article by the Athletic, MLB writer Jim Bowden, listed five potential landing spots for the 6’7 outfielder. Coming in at number two was the LA Dodgers.
"However, Judge is the type of player they [Dodgers] would be willing to go to eight years for, like they were with Betts, who signed a 12-year, $365 million extension in 2020. They are a real threat to offer a deal that could persuade Judge to leave the Yankees.”
Additionally, the Dodgers just cleared up a lot of space and could potentially be coming off a big load of cash with some offseason moves as Bowden notes.
The Dodgers potentially have a lot of money coming off the books, including the salaries of free agent Trea Turner; Cody Bellinger, who is arbitration-eligible and made $17 million this year, but they could trade or non-tender him; Justin Turner, who has a club option at $16 million with a $2 million buyout; and Craig Kimbrel, who made $16 million this year. That’s more than enough to land Judge.
Now is the perfect time to pick up some talent like Judge because offers like this don't come around often. The 30-year-old outfielder is coming off of one of the most remarkable seasons in all of MLB history after slashing .311/.425/.686 and finishing with an AL record of 62 home runs.
Think about it. If Friedman and the Dodgers pull this off? They would have Judge, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman at the top of the lineup. Now that's a scary thought.
Although Betts and Judge play the same position, Mookie is quite the versatile athlete and could easily shift to both centerfield or infield at second base. Easy fix.
Lots to think about but the Dodgers are gonna have to fight for this one and consider making some tough decisions about who else might have to go in order to make this possible.
