The New York Yankees re-signed Aaron Judge to a nine-year, $360 million deal on December 7, 2022. It went down the history of the Bronx Bombers as one of the most important days. But for Michael Kay, the Yankees’ voice, it was another red-letter day in the history of the Yankees vs Red Sox rivalry and equivalent to the Yankees scoring a home run against the Red Sox.
The news that one of their heroes was staying with the team made everyone in New York very happy. What happened next was also a treat for the fans. In just 48 hours, the Yankees re-signed their star player, while their bitter rivals in Boston lost a key player in Xander Bogaerts. And both events were linked to each other.
Michael Kay, who knows a lot about MLB, described this turn of events:
“That’s a home run”
The events that occurred just before the signing of Aaron Judge surprised everyone. Teams went on a spending spree after the 2022 American League MVP was taken off the market. While the Giants and the Yankees fought a high-pitched bidding battle, the San Diego Padres entered the fray with a much bigger offer. They even went on to bring Aaron Judge to San Diego and presented an offer close to $400 million.
But when Aaron Judge declined their offer, the San Diego Padres went on signing former Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. This robbed Boston of a big star.
“The Yankees bringing back Aaron Judge led to the Padres then signing Xander Boegarts away from Boston. ‘That’s a home run.’ – @RealMichaelKay” – YES Network
After losing out on Aaron Judge, the San Diego Padres look for another big-name player. With rumors that Judge had been offered $400 million, San Diego had the money to make a move. A huge deal for 11 years and $280 million was made with Xander Bogaerts.
“The Yankees bringing back Judge obviously makes them close to being whole, and it also hurt the Boston Red Sox,” added Kay.
Boston went two steps back after the Yankees signed Aaron Judge
Red Sox fans found it hard to accept that Xander Bogaerts was leaving the team. The four-time All-Star played for Boston when they won the World Series in 2013 and 2018. Bogaerts became one of the most reliable players on the team, and he was a fan favorite at Fenway Park.
Now the Red Sox are going to slip in their rivalry battle with the Yankees. While they have to face a resurgent New York led by Aaron Judge, there won’t be Xander Bogaerts to help them fight. It looks like the Boston Red Sox are falling behind their rivals. Last season, they had a 78-84 record, which was 21 games worse than the Bronx Bombers.
Early in December, this was a two-day stretch that may have changed the course of the division for the next ten years. With Aaron Judge back and All-Star Carlos Rodon on board, the Yankees look like heavy favorites to win the AL East once again.
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