Race to sign Aaron Judge heats up after Dodgers reportedly enter the fray

According to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, the Los Angeles Dodgers could become a serious player in the hunt for Aaron Judge. The Yankees outfielder is about to become a free agent.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made noise in the offseason before, and it looks like they will do so again this winter. Aaron Judge is on their radar.

An award-winning baseball writer, Mark Feinsand is known for his knowledge of the inside franchise happening. He is a regular sports reporter for MLB.com and the New York Daily News for more than two decades and has written several books on the game.

On Monday, Mark Feinsand tweeted about a potential bid for Aaron Judge by the LA Dodgers.

“The Dodgers could be serious suitors for Aaron Judge. Would Mookie Betts move to second base to open up right field for the AL MVP frontrunner?”

Feinsand says that if Aaron Judge were to come to Los Angeles, the Dodgers could move Mookie Betts from right field to second base to facilitate his choice of the position.

Feinsand thinks that if the Dodgers let players like Trea Turner, David Price, Craig Kimbrel, and Joey Gallo leave as free agents, they could save about $100 million, which would give them plenty of room to make a bid for Judge.

Aaron Judge started 74 and 54 games respectively in the center and right fields but he has spent most of his time in the Majors playing in the right field. He was a DH in 25 games. Even though Judge, who is 30 now, may not be able to play in the outfield for long because of demanding physical attributes.

Betts started his career as a second baseman. Betts, who is 30 years old, has played most of his MLB games in the outfield, but he is open to moving back to the infield. In 2022, he played seven games for the Dodgers in that position. In September, he told reporters that he feels at home in that role and likes getting chances to play there.

The Dodgers have the second-highest payroll in the league, but they could get out of commitments worth nearly $100 million this offseason to make room for a run at Judge.

According to Feinsand, the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox, or Mets are most likely to have Aaron Judge next season.

Judge, who is 30 years old, turned down a seven-year, $213.5-million contract extension offer from the Yankees before the season. He wanted to bet on himself. The slugger has indicated that he wants to stay with the Yankees. Still, the business side of baseball can make star players want to move to a different city. Once a player is on the open market, nothing is certain.

After hitting 62 home runs in 2022, the slugger is expected to be the most sought-after free agent this offseason. He is now thinking about what to do next after the Yankees were eliminated from the American League Championship Series.

Will Aaron Judge move to Los Angeles? Will he prefer the Dodgers over the Yankees or the Giants?