The Tampa Bay Rays made a serious run at New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge during his 2022 free agency, and made an offer that the former AL MVP called "respectable."
"The Giants and Padres, I kind of expected that," Judge told the Tampa Bay Times. "And it was different because they weren't teams that we see all the time [in the American League]. The Rays, that surprised me. And just because it was a divisional rival and I've spent my whole career trying to game plan against them. It was a very respectful [offer], and I appreciated that they reached out and that they thought enough of me to do that. And I respect their team. I respect what they have built here. They have a good club, and their team is tough. But it was so hard to think about [playing for them] because I've spent my whole career game planning against them and trying to beat them."
