With the off-season quickly approaching, one of the main storylines will be who will land one of the best pure power hitters this game has seen in years.
Will it be the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, or Giants? It may be a team not listed, but these are the four teams with the most interest as of today.
Yankees:
Yes, if Aaron Judge returns as a Yankee, he very well could be named the captain — the first since Derek Jeter. Judge encompasses everything the Yankees are built on — Pure class.
Not only has Judge been a factor on the field, almost minutes after being called up he launched his foundation: All Rise. The mission statement is simple: We inspire children, and youth to become responsible citizens to reach unlimited possibilities.
Judge just had the best year in pinstripes over any other Yankee in history. 62 home runs — a feat no one else accomplished in the Bronx or the American League.
It was a Yankee team for more than half the team played less than .500, but with the heroic season of a man that made everyone rise, he made his case. Judge should remain a Yankee for life, but it will come at a price. A price Jeff Passan of ESPN believes is between $330-360 million dollars.
The Yankees don’t just need Judge to be legitimate contenders for a championship, they need him to ensure they can stay relevant in the league. Without Aaron Judge, the Yankees might have missed the playoffs in 2022 so how would that be different in ‘23?
Dodgers:
Can’t perform when the games matter. That is the stereotype the Dodgers have set for themselves after once again being eliminated in the NLDS. Outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 playoffs, the Dodgers have not won a championship since 1988. Even after almost every year making the playoffs.
Just be happy you’re in the dance some may say, but the argument to that is simply flags fly forever. Championship years are moments that last lifetimes. If you are a Dodgers fan who witnessed greatness in ‘88, you know how special that is. Mauve even in ‘20, but it was different. There was no parade. No moment at Dodger Stadium.
A lack of atmospheric feeling in the suspense of the most beautiful moment in sports. A back and fourth battle for the World Series.
The fact the Dodgers could even pull this pursuit of Judge off should be shocking enough. However, it can be done. Yes, they are ‘The Dodgers’, but with Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Clayton Kershaw, and Trea Turner for example off the books, they have the flexibility. Just think… Mookie, Freddie, and Judge — all in the same lineup.
If the Dodgers want to put themselves as the best baseball team in the state of California, then you sign Aaron Judge. You build around three of the biggest generational stars the sport has produced in the last twenty years — two who already have experienced what it takes to win a championship — and one who is dying to know what it feels like.
Mets: 
Yes, the Mets are even moving in the right field wall just for their pitch to get Aaron Judge to swap to the other side of the river. Ha.
You can make the jokes — or maybe is it logic at its finest? But the premise of the Mets moving in the fence could make a case for them to bring Judge in. The Mets are well aware of what they need to improve on in their 2023 season, and one of them is simply hitting more home runs.
Out of the twelve playoff teams this postseason, only two teams hit fewer home runs, the Guardians and the Padres. The Mets hit a total of 171 homers, while the league average sat at 174. For fun, let’s say Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs with the other team in New York. They would then have a total of 233 home runs — third most in MLB only behind the Braves and the Yankees.
While the Mets can afford Judge just simply because they have one of the wealthiest owners in the history of the sport, is it a contract they would want to take on? If they did so, they would most likely be forfeiting the reunion of a Jacob Degrom + Brandon Nimmo + Edwin Diaz reunion.
Giants:
Who are the Yankees’ opening-day opponents? You guessed it. The San Francisco Giants. The team that won three World Series championships in five years. However, it’s been one year removed from a decade since the Giants have been back on top.
This team is in a weird spot. They had a magical regular season run in 2021 when they won 107 games, to lose to the Dodgers in the NLDS. The next season? The Giants won just 81 finishing right at .500.
This is a team that went 22-27 in one-run games that is in desperate need of a power hitter that can change those outcomes. What better hitter to add to the lineup than Aaron Judge then.
In games within 1 run, Judge’s slash line this year was: .291 AVG, 30 HR, 16 2B, 57 RBI, .418 OPB, 1.021 OPS
That is the difference maker the Giants need and just may well get.
Who do you think will land Aaron Judge this off-season? Will it be one of these four teams or perhaps a surprise entry to the Judge sweepstakes?
