Morning Briefing: Aaron Judge Talks Heating Up

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

The San Francisco Giants reportedly made a huge offer to Arson Judge… no, Aaron Judge, somewhere in the ballpark of $360 million in their deal, according to Healey. He also reports that the New York Yankees still remain the favorites to re-sign Judge even with the monumental offer on the table.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network initially reported that Judge was nearing a deal with the Giants, but he quickly retracted that report. Susan Slusser of the SF Chronicle reported that the “buzz in the lobby” is that the Giants are still going to get Judge.

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The New York Mets will no longer have pitcher Taijuan Walker on their pitching staff after two great seasons with in the Big Apple.

Walker and the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a four-year deal worth $72 million, according to Robert Murray of Fansided.com. During his Mets tenure, Walker rejuvenated his career with an 19-16 record with 3.98 ERA, 278 strikeouts and an All-Star appearance in 2021. The National League champs bolsters their rotation which already has former Met Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola leading the helm.

The Mets also made some contract signings of their own with their coaching staff. Mike Puma of The New York Post reports that Glenn Sherlock has been extended through 2024 and will move from his position as bench coach to catching instructor. Manager Buck Showalter also had a helping hand in resigning the Mets “replay guy” Harrison Friedland., according to Tim Healey with the Newsday. The Mets had a league-leading 78.79% overturn rate during the 2022 season.

Former Mets reliever Adonis Medina and the KIA Tigers have agreed on a deal to send the pitcher to South Korea, according to Yeonjun Park of MNH Sports. Medina held a 6.08 ERA last year with one save which famously came against the Los Angeles Dodgers in L.A.

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The Phillies made more deals last night after their signing of Walker and signed another pitcher in reliever Matt Strahm. The Boston Red Sox lefty signed a two-year, $15 million contract according to Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Strahm held a 3.83 ERA last season with the Red Sox while appearing in 50 games and striking out 52 batters.

Former National League MVP Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a one-year deal that lands the former Dodger in the Windy City, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Passan also reports that former San Diego Padres first baseman Josh Bell has signed a two-year deal with the Cleveland Guardians worth $33 million. Bell’s contract also includes an opt out.

Pitcher Jarlín García and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to a deal, per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. García held a line of 3.74 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 7.8 K/9 last season in 58 outings with the Giants. Vince Velasquez and the Pirates also agreed on a one-year deal, according to Kiley McDaniel with the ESPN.

The Texas Rangers add another pitcher to their rotation with Andrew Heaney, pending a physical, according to Rosenthal. Heaney’ s 3.10 ERA helped him get 110 strikeouts with the Dodgers last season.

The first ever MLB Draft Lottery was held on Tuesday night which decides the draft order in 2023. The lottery, which is similar to the ones used in the NBA and NHL, randomly decides draft order rather than go by the team’s record from the previous year. With the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft are the Pirates, followed by the Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers. The most notable jump in the draft was the Minnesota Twins, who were project to get their pick outside of the top 10 and wound up with the fifth overall pick. The Miami Marlin notably dropped in the draft falling down to the tenth slot.

Former Yankees pitcher Jameson Taillon has reportedly signed a four-year deal with the Cubs, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, worth $68 million. Taillon won 14 game for the Yanks last season and held an ERA of 3.91. Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is also being eyed by division rival St. Louis Cardinals as a possible replacement for Yadier Molina, according to Heyman.

Three players in their late 30’s also are receiving interest around the league. Evan Longoria, Justin Turner and Andrew McCutchen are all getting interest around the league as they continue to show their worth with their bat and glove. Longoria has at least five teams interested, per Heyman, Turner could end up in Miami, per Craig Mish of SportsGrid, and McCutchen could make a deal with the Dodgers or Tampa Bay Rays, per ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida has officially been posted, according to Passan. The 29-year-old, who this year hit .335 with 80 walks and 41 strikeouts for the Orix Buffaloes, will have the next 30 days to sign with an MLB team.

According to Heyman, shortstop Trea Turner, who signed with the Phillies, reportedly had an even bigger contract offer from the San Diego Padres that would have surpassed Francisco Lindor’s contract with the Mets.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Los Angeles Angels are hoping to be sold prior to opening day in 2023, as well as reporting that the MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred says the Oakland Athletics are “past any reasonable timetable,” in regards to the team’s stadium issues. Nightengale also reports Manfred also says there is no agreement as to whether there will be an automated strike zone in the 2024 season.