Mookie Betts Would've Moved to Second Base for Aaron Judge
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Once upon a time, Yankees superstar and reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge was the most highly sought after free agent on the market.
While Judge wound up signing a lucrative nine-year, $360 million deal to return to the Yankees earlier this winter, the Los Angeles Dodgers were one of the teams that were in on him prior to his decision.
So much so that Dodgers superstar right fielder Mookie Betts was willing to move to second base to give Judge his spot defensively, according to Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci.
“Yes, that sounds probably like something I said,” Betts told Verducci. “But hey, that was going to be a tough get.”
Betts is a six-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion. He used to be a rival of Judge in the AL East when he played for the Boston Red Sox.
Betts was drafted by the Red Sox back in 2011 as a second baseman.
So did Betts ever try reaching out to Judge to recruit him to the Dodgers?
“No, I don’t do that,” Betts said. “I want guys to do whatever’s best for them and their families.”
Betts is expected to play around 40 games at second and 110 games in the outfield this season, per Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers, who won 111 games last year, would've made a rich lineup even richer had they paired Judge with Betts.
Betts signed a 12-year, $365 million contract extension with the Dodgers in 2020, the second richest deal in baseball. Judge's $40 million AAV is the third-most in the game.
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