Aaron Judge He hit his 61st home run of the year against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. He currently ties with Roger Maris’ single-season record for both new york yankees the franchise and the American League as a whole. Considering Judge’s AL Triple win for his crown is also in jeopardy, it’s fair to write that he’s having one of his best offensive seasons in recent history. That’s it. He could be rewarded in the form of his AL’s Most Valuable Player award when all the votes are tallied this fall.
Judge is set to be the most popular free agent of the offseason, and this winter will pay off in another way. You may have heard he turned down the Yankees’ final contract extension offer in the spring. His decision to bet on himself now looks admirable, but it begs the fascinating question: Who will he end up signing by next season?
We at CBS Sports aren’t the picky types. So below, we’ve stratified and ranked all 30 teams based on their likelihood of signing a judge. It should be noted that this is more art than science – there is still time left in the regular season for Pete’s sake – and exercise is for entertainment purposes only. should not be too high or too low depending on team placement.
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With the fine print out of the way, let’s get down to ranking.
Tier 1: It can’t be helped, it can’t be helped
28. miami marlins
26. Tampa Bay Rays
twenty five. Cincinnati Reds
Again, the judge declined an extension that would have paid out more than $210 million. I have no doubt he will receive even more this winter. Can you imagine the Royals or Athletics making such a deal? Of course not. Not in this version of the simulation. However, you’ll pay a small fee to watch a livestream where Pirates general manager Ben Chellington presents his ideas to owner Bob Nutting.
Tier 2: swing and miss
twenty four. detroit tigers
twenty three. Washington Nationals
twenty two. Baltimore Orioles
twenty one. Milwaukee Brewers
20. Colorado Rockies
None of these teams seem likely to 1) spend the money they need or 2) make it to the postseason.Given how judges can do both and how they choose teams that do both, it doesn’t make sense to waste a lot of time weighing the merits of each in this group. We approve of the idea of judges joining forces Mike Trout When Shohei Ohtani is attractive, but the Angels seem more likely to trade Ohtani either before or after the sale.
Tier 3: Missing Elements
16. Minnesota Twins
The White Sox, Twins and Guardians will once again battle for the American League Central title next season. The Twins have signed, but none of them seem likely to splurge on a player of Judge’s ability. Carlos Correa It’s the last offseason, so anything is possible. The Diamondbacks are a team on the rise, but their outfield is full of youngsters, suggesting they should spend their coins elsewhere.
Tier 4: On warning tracks
13. San Diego Padres
12. Seattle Mariners
Ten. Houston Astros
6. chicago cubs
We wouldn’t be shocked to hear that one of these teams was involved in judging. We don’t expect them to have a serious run because of this or that factor. I don’t know if there’s room for a deal like the judges demand. The Mariners, Blue Jays, Astros and Braves all seem likely to focus on maintaining or developing their own prowess. . The Braves, for example, will have to decide whether to keep. Dansby Swanson city.the cardinals Juan Soto, suggesting there may be a desire for another big-time slugger. Will they pony up for the judges? The Cubs will probably focus their energy (and money) on upgrades at shortstop.
Five. boston red sox
I’m also skeptical of ranking the Red Sox that high.Chime Bloom shows little willingness to spend and seems strange to trade Mookie Betts It turns around after a few winters and just signs the judges. Besides, they have to figure out what they’re doing on the left side of the infield at shortstop. xander bogaerts and third baseman Rafael DeversHowever, there are so many teams that can realistically meet the judge’s price, and the Red Sox happen to be one of those teams.
Tier 5: Favorites
We’ve finally made it to the top four, the teams most likely to sign a judge this winter.
Four. San Francisco Giants
One front office source mocked us for listing the Giants as a preferred landing spot for judges, but hear about this. Giancarlo Stanton When Bryce Harper, suggesting they have an appetite for moderate thumpers. With much of San Francisco’s existing core aging and retiring or declining, Farhan Zaidi wants to import a new face to the franchise. is in the past. The Giants forgo some long-term commitments both this winter and next year, giving them the financial freedom to make a splash. And hey Judge played college about three hours from Oracle Park That may not help, but it probably won’t hurt. We believe the Giants will reappear soon as a serious dark horse among top free agents.
We’re not legally bound to include the Dodgers and Mets high on this list (and other teams with similar concepts), but they’re closer than they are. The Dodgers have signed some huge deals this offseason. trea turner When David PriceThey could free up even more money by not bidding Cody Bellinger, should choose to do so. They get higher rankings as a result of their apparent financial flexibility.The Mets have shown no real aversion to spending as much money as they want under Steve Cohen Still, as an ace, Billy Eppler has some major internal business to handle this offseason. Jacob deGrom and closer Edwin Diaz Both can hit the open market.Are the Mets really willing to keep those two? When Will you sign the judge? Maybe so.
1. New York Yankees
Still, I have to go with the Yankees as a frontrunner for judges. Yes, this is a coward’s choice, and yes, they have so far failed to lock in Judges. There are several factors that For one thing, Brian Cashman must know that his team would be far worse without a judge towing. For another, the Yankees rarely allow locally grown stars to leave in free agency (Robinson Cano being an exception). It will be difficult to leave Judge after he breaks Maris’ record. Then there’s the Mets factor. Can you imagine the vibe around the Yankees if they allow the judges to high tail them all over town? Perhaps Cashman and the Yankees have the stomach to endure it all, but there could be a reason to leave them out. Until then, we’re sticking with our incumbents.