Two years ago, multiple teams expressed interest in Aaron Judge during his free agency period. One of these teams appeared to be a rival squad.
The Tampa Bay Rays are believed to have discussed a 10-year, $300 million contract with Judge prior to last season, according to Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times, who reported on Wednesday.
The $300 million offer over ten years is less than the nine-year, $360 million contract Judge obtained from the Yankees. The Padres offered Judge a highly deferred $400 million contract, while the Giants offered him $360 million. The Rays’ contract with Judge was less than the others’, but Judge appreciated their efforts.
“It was a very respectful (offer), and I appreciated that they reached out and thought enough of me to do that,” Judge told the Tampa Bay Times.
Judge also stated that playing for the Rays after facing them throughout his career would have been strange.
Since accepting a contract with the Yankees, the 32-year-old has given results. Despite playing in 106 games last season, he still had a 1.019 OPS. This year, he leads the league in home runs (32), RBIs (83), slugging percentage (.677), and OPS (1.103).
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