Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Judge will be the biggest prize available in free agency and many see the slugger as an ideal fit for the New York Mets. However, according to latest reports, the team from Queens remain determined to not enter into a bidding war with the New York Yankees.
Per Andy Martino of SNY, the Mets are reluctant to go toe-to-toe with their cross-town rivals for one of the biggest names in the sport, with owners Steve Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner having built a respectful working relationship. That would no doubt shatter if the Mets were to go all out in order to steal the Yankees’ face of the franchise and most marketable asset.
Rather, according to Martino, the only way the Mets would enter what should be a fierce race for Judge’s services is if the Yankees pulled themselves out of the bidding. It is worth noting that Cohen has been determined to build a solid relationship with the Yankees, and he’s also made it clear he wants to build a baseball franchise the right way from the ground floor up.
That was proven at the trade deadline when general manager Billy Eppler refused to give up any of the organization’s bluechip prospects for win-now moves, and that philosophy is unlikely to change any time soon. Of course, Judge is a free agent so the Mets won’t have to part with any prospects but, with Francisco Lindor already being paid $341 million over 10 years, there is a sense that Cohen doesn’t want to give another monster contract to a star on the wrong side of 30.
It does make sense. After all, while he’s largely stayed healthy for the last two seasons, Judge has had trouble remaining on the field in the past and his bulking 6-foot-seven, 282 pounds frame suggest that he’s not going to age well. And, with reports suggesting the power hitter should get well over $300 million on a long-term deal in free agency, you can’t blame Cohen for being a little cautious and not wanting to shackle his team with an albatross of a contract down the road.
Judge, who turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million deal from the Yankees before the 2022 season, is thought to want a deal long in term and that could put a lot of teams off given his age and the fact he’s not guaranteed to stay healthy for the duration of any contract he does go on to sign.
However, on the flip side, all bets are off when a player as special as Judge hits the open market. Already a unicorn in Major League Baseball, the superstar mashed his way to greatness in 2022 with a historic season for the ages. Judge broke Roger Maris‘ single-season record for home runs in the American League with 62. He also drove in 131 RBI, hit 28 doubles and stole 16 bases, hitting .311/.425/.686/1.111 on the year.
It was an offensive masterclass and, as such, Judge’s decision to bet on himself will now pay off in a big way in the form of a big ticket deal, either from the Yankees or from someone else. Judge is a generational talent and any team in baseball would benefit from having the slugger injecting a huge wave of pop at the top of their lineup.
Plus, for any team acquiring the masher, you are paying Judge the monster money in order to win a World Series now and you will worry about the latter years of the contract further down the road. That’s the case with any star player in any of the major sports; you do what it takes to win now and you worry about the future tomorrow.
But, at this moment, it does appear as though the Mets won’t be a major player for Judge with Cohen and Eppler set to turn their attention elsewhere in free agency. However, should the Yankees decide they don’t want to pay the big bucks in order to keep their franchise cornerstone in town, then maybe, just maybe, Cohen’s mind could be changed and Citi Field may well play host to the biggest name available this winter.
