Major League Baseball could punish both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets, over communications surrounding free-agent Aaron Judge.
Judge is now a free agent after spending the entirety of his career at the Yankees, and he's one of the most desirable players in the MLB after a record-breaking season. Judge broke the American League single-season home run record, but it wasn't enough to guide the Yankees to the World Series.
The outfielder could be set for one of the biggest MLB deals ever now that he has become a free agent, whether that be back at the Yankees or with another franchise. But the Yankees and the Mets may already be facing an investigation for improperly communicating.
That's according to The Athletic, who claim that the Yankees and Mets are being investigated by MLB for improperly communicating about Judge. The conversations are said to have begun after an article referenced Mets sources said that the team doesn’t expect to compete for Judge in free agency.
It's also what they said to the outlet SNY previously, when Judge turned down a massive contract offer from the Yankees. Judge was offered a new seven-year deal by the Yankees, that would see him earn a mammoth $213million (£180m).
The story has been raised by the MLB Player’s Association, and now the league may look to take matters further. According to the MLBPA, they have contacted the league to investigate whether owners Hal Steinbrenner and Steve Cohen had 'improper communication' with one another.
It's to determine whether they have violated the collective bargaining agreement. MLB rules state that information on player contracts cannot be shared between teams. 'Players shall not act in concert with other Players and Clubs shall not act in concert with other Clubs.'
The Yankees are expected to go back in with a larger offer for Judge, and it's expected that other teams will also bid high in order to secure him for next season. Judge is still weighing up his future, and seems in no rush to do so.
Judge is coming off of a 2022 season where he led the league and also the record books with 62 home runs. He also recorded 111 walks, 131 RBI, 133 runs scored, 391 total bases, a .425 on-base percentage, a .686 slugging percentage, a 1.111 OPS, and a 211 OPS+, in a stunning individual year.
