Ex-Yankees Tyler Wade Jokes About Aaron Judge Angels Recruitment
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Tyler Wade could be seen hanging out with his former Yankees teammates before the start of New York’s series against the Angels on Tuesday, but he caught up with one of his closest friends the day before.
Wade, who now provides his utility skillset to the Halos, had dinner with Aaron Judge on Monday. New York and Los Angeles were both off on Memorial Day, and the two California natives became tight when they were both Yankees. Judge, meanwhile, is scheduled to hit free agency this winter after turning down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension before Opening Day.
The Yankees will take another stab at locking Judge up this offseason, but Wade joked about selling the slugger on Anaheim during their meal.
“Yeah, you never know, I might have planted a couple of seeds,” Wade said Tuesday, per the Los Angeles Times’ Mike DiGiovanna and NJ.com’s Randy Miller. “He’s having a great year. I’m happy for him. He deserves everything that’s coming to him.”
Miller added that Wade was just messing around, opposed to tampering. If he truly wants to recruit Judge this offseason, Wade knows how to reach the MVP candidate.
Tuesday was Wade’s first time back at Yankee Stadium since New York designated him for assignment in November. Wade spent parts of five major league seasons in the Bronx from 2017-2021 after the Yankees made him a fourth-round pick in 2013. A light hitter and versatile defender with speed, he slashed .212/.298/.307 for New York.
While Wade did not start Tuesday’s series-opener, he has seen a decent amount of playing time with the playoff-hungry Angels. The 27-year-old has appeared in 41 games and is slashing .229/.288/.302 over 109 plate appearances.
MORE:
- Noah Syndergaard Gets Rocked By Yankees in Return to New York
- Gleyber Torres Has Regained Some of His Pop
- Ex-Yankees Pitcher J.A. Happ Announces Retirement
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