Odds: Red Sox, Yankees Among Five Teams Set To Heavily Pursue Aaron Judge
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Could the Boston Red Sox stab their rival New York Yankees in the back by stealing the face of their franchise? Oddsmakers could see it happening.
The Red Sox are far from the odds-on favorite to land Judge, but they certainly are in the running.
Logically, the Yankees are the favorite to retain their star slugger, with -165 odds on DraftKings Sportbook.
Right behind them are the San Francisco Giants (+300) -- Judge was born less than two hours away from Oracle Park and the Giants have been adamant that no free agent is out of their price range. Then comes the Los Angeles Dodgers (+450), New York Mets (+1000), and Red Sox (+1600).
The rest of the teams have odds higher than +2000, and can be fairly confidently assumed to be out of the running at this juncture.
The Red Sox have taken somewhat of a back seat behind the leading trio of the Yankees, Giants and Dodgers, but are very much in the discussion at 16/1 odds.
Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy was asked about the possibility of adding either Judge or 2022 American League Cy-Young winner Justin Verlander and gave an intriguing and optimistic answer.
“It’s safe to say that Chaim (Bloom) and (Brian O'Halloran) are leaving no stone unturned,” Kennedy told The Boston Globe's Michael Silverman. “They are being very diligent and aggressive in their examination of ways to improve a team at the major league level.
“We have a responsibility to look at any opportunities to improve the major league team, including free agents -- all free agents."
What would it realistically take for the Red Sox to offer a blank check to Judge and swipe him away from their longstanding rivals?
For starters, Bogaerts would have to sign elsewhere and not look back. The negotiations with third baseman Rafael Devers likely would also have to be trending in the wrong direction.
If Boston were on the fringe of losing the two faces of their franchise in back-to-back offseasons, they might take a big swing at Judge.
Even still, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom noted that he was not a fan of locking in older free agents to long-term contracts, and Judge, 30, would warrant quite a large deal.
It would be much more logical to pay 26-year-old Devers whatever he's asking for, and sign Bogaerts to a sizeable but not franchise-altering deal.
The Red Sox do need to add power to their outfield, but a reunion with now-Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Hunter Renfroe -- who reportedly is available via trade -- would be a much more cost-effective option.
There also are other options to turn to before hamstringing the team with a massive contract right before Devers -- a much younger talent -- is set to hit the open market.
More Aaron Judge News:
- Aaron Judge Or Justin Verlander To Red Sox? Sam Kennedy Has Intriguing Answer
- Aaron Judge Gives Ominous Response When Asked About Future With Yankees
- Four Teams Reportedly Poised To Make Serious Run For Yankees' Aaron Judge
- How Much Will Yankees' Aaron Judge Sign For? MLB Agents, Executives Weigh In
- Yankees' Aaron Judge Hints At Which Team He Will Play For Next Season
