MLB Insider Names New York Mets Potential Suitors for Aaron Judge
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Wouldn't that be something?
After declining a seven-year, $213.5 million extension from the Yankees that would've amassed to an eight-year, $230.5 million deal, Aaron Judge's gamble has been paying off so far.
Should Judge make it to free agency, clubs will be lining up for his services, and ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel says there's one possible suitor that has been brought up in every conversation he has had with sources around the league: the New York Mets.
"That mix of potential suitors will almost certainly include some of those non-playoff clubs who have acted more boldly in recent years, but there is one more variable: Mets owner Steve Cohen. He came up in every conversation I had with execs about Judge -- partly because the Mets could stand to upgrade their outfield, but mostly because he becomes the Kool-Aid Man when a cost control is put in front of him. There’s also undeniable star power and King of New York vibes in play -- a winter in which the Mets re-sign deGrom and land the Yankees’ best player would surely make him happier than a string of buzzy art purchases."
The 30-year-old has been crushing it for the Bronx Bombers throughout his first 39 games, playing at an MVP caliber level with a .318/.389/.676 triple slash, 1.065 OPS, 15 home runs and 31 RBIs across 148 at-bats.
If Judge keeps this up, the Yankees will surely be forced to dish out a contract way north of what the outfielder turned down prior to the regular season.
According to McDaniel, Judge could draw a $300 million contract if he continues on this current path of a career year.
"If he has a career year in 2022, I think he’ll beat $250 million with his sights set on $300 million. ... The length of the Yankees’ offer was the part that surprised me, and it suggests that with open market bidding and Judge’s potential career year in 2022, an eight-year offer could be in play. A $35 million AAV (the Yankees’ offer was a $30.5 million AAV) on an eight-year term gets you to $280 million total. If a couple teams have interest at that level, a nice round $300 million feels like the potential winning bid. Yes, that landing comes at the end of a string of ifs, but it isn’t that far-fetched of a scenario given where we stand right now."
Since purchasing the Mets in the fall of 2020, Cohen has already given out record-setting contracts to shortstop Francisco Lindor (10-years, $341 million) and ace pitcher Max Scherzer (three-years, $130 million).
While It's unknown whether Cohen is willing to go after Judge if he hits the free agent market after the season, he certainly has deep enough pockets to do so.
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