The biggest free agent in this year’s class—in every sense of the word—is Aaron Judge. The Yankees tried to ensure this day never arrived, offering Judge a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension before Opening Day, which Judge ultimately declined. That decision represented a nine-figure gamble on himself, and, after a season for the ages, is set to pay off in a massive way.
To assemble a list of every team interested in signing Judge this winter would be to write down the names of all 30. Of course, Judge would “fit” in anywhere, because he’s Aaron Judge, the best hitter in the league last year by a considerable margin. But given how much it will command to sign him, the number of teams who could feasibly be in a position to successfully recruit him is relatively small. So let’s take a look at five clubs who are feasible landing spots for the superstar slugger.
