Aaron Judge's contract situation is the biggest story of the New York Yankees' season — and perhaps in all Major League Baseball.
The All-Star slugger turned down a very lucrative offer right before Opening Day and claimed that he would wait until the offseason to negotiate again, raising concerns about potentially walking away as a free agent.
Red Sox Need To Land A Star
Now, in a wild prediction, MLB insider Buster Olney predicts that the Boston Red Sox could and should try and win his sweepstakes:
"Why might Boston owner John Henry get involved with Judge? Because he's responsible for the trade of [Mookie] Betts; greenlighted the offer to Bogaerts; and hasn't locked up Devers," Olney said, "There is unrest among Red Sox fans, many of whom have become convinced their team has become allergic to spending big money. The signing of Judge would change that narrative, rip the Yankees' best position player out of their lineup, and get Red Sox fans turning out early to watch Judge put divots in the aluminum siding that protects the Green Monster."There Will Be No Updates On His Situation
That seems far-fetched, especially considering Judge recently admitted that he reconsidered his stance about negotiating a deal mid-season. Also, Hal Steinbrenner recently claimed he wouldn't share any details of those negotiations until they get a deal done:
"No matter what happens during the season, we're not going to give any updates,” Steinbrenner told the media. “We're just not going to do it. I mean, I completely agree with Aaron that in no way, shape or form can this be a distraction."Judge Says He Wants To Be A Yankee
It's not a secret that Judge would rather stay in the Bronx and continue his illustrious career in Pinstripes. However, the team will have to meet his asking price:
“I've been vocal about wanting to be a Yankee for life," Judge said months ago. "I want to bring a championship back to New York. I want to do it for the fans here. They're family. This is home for me, and not getting that done right now, it stinks. But I've got a job to do on the field. I've got to shift my focus to that and go play some ball."All Rise
Judge led All-Star voting this season despite a minor slump over the past couple of weeks. He's been the leading AL MVP candidate throughout the whole campaign, and we don't see that changing any time soon.
He decided to bet on himself, and it paid off. Now, it'll be up to Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman to do the rest.
]]>The Inquisitr
