Dodgers Rumors: Aaron Judge to LA Becomes 'More Plausible' With Cody Bellinger Non-Tendered
The Dodgers non-tendered outfielder Cody Bellinger on Friday, possibly laying the groundwork to cut ties with the former Rookie of the Year and MVP. While L.A. president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says the team remains interested in bring Bellinger back on a more team-friendly deal, for the first time the slugger has a say in it, as he's a free agent and eligible to sign with any team.
If this is the end of Bellinger's time in Los Angeles, the team will need to replace him in center field. Friedman mentioned internal options such as Chris Taylor, Trayce Thompson, and James Outman, but there happens to be a pretty big-name outfielder available on the free-agent market.
Aaron Judge isn't really a center-fielder; he's played there some with the Yankees, but he's not the answer there. A team with Mookie Betts in right and Judge in left, though, could absolutely get away with a platoon of James Outman, Chris Taylor, and Trayce Thompson in center.
The Dodgers definitely have a lot of money coming off the books, but the issue with Judge has never been affording him in 2023. For Los Angeles, the bigger question is the number of years, and if Judge is looking for eight or nine years on his contract, it won't matter how much cap space L.A. has cleared out for next year.
But if this extra payroll room gives the Dodgers the ability to blow Judge away with a short-term, high-dollar contract, maybe there's a chance after all.
