MLB Free Agency

MLB sources reportedly predict superstar outfielder Aaron Judge will re-sign with the New York Yankees as a free agent following the 2022 season.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday rival executives expect the Yanks will "pay the freight," which is projected at around $300 million or "somewhere in that area:"

Somebody is going to pay Judge a massive amount of money after a campaign where he set the American League record with 62 home runs, and there may be a riot in the Bronx if it's not the Yankees who step up to get the deal done.

The four-time All-Star's pursuit of history was impressive on multiple fronts.

Most notably, as Judge was hunting his 62nd homer, he was also in hot pursuit of the AL Triple Crown, ultimately falling five batting average points (.311 to the Minnesota Twins' Luis Arraez's .316) short of becoming just the second Triple Crown winner since 1967.

The 30-year-old California native also finished with 16 more longballs than anybody else in baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber was next on the list at 46. So it wasn't like the steroid or juiced-ball eras where everyone was teeing off. He dominated the power category alone.

Judge has steered clear of contract talk for most of the year, but in April he signaled a business-like approach to free agency after extension talks with New York fell short.

"Very few people get this opportunity to talk extension. Me getting this opportunity is something special and I appreciate the Yankees wanting to do that," Judge told reporters. "But I don't mind going into free agency. It is what it is."

He added: "At the end of this year, I'll talk to 30 teams. The Yankees will be one of those teams."

Yanks general manager Brian Cashman didn't shy away from the fact that Judge put himself in line for a monster payday with his standout season.

"There's a pot of gold there," Cashman said Sunday. "It's yet to be determined what the gold—how much it weighs—but it's a pot of gold, no doubt about it. So good for him. It was already a big pot and, obviously, it'll be bigger."

For now, the Yankees are focused on trying to chase down the franchise's 28th World Series title. They hold a 1-0 lead in their Divisional Series matchup with the Cleveland Guardians. Game 2 is set for Friday afternoon following a rainout Thursday.

Whenever the club's playoff run ends, with a championship or shy of that ultimate goal, the concentration will immediately shift to keeping Judge in New York for the long haul.

Multiple high-profile MLB teams are reportedly expected to pursue a top shortstop on the free-agent market during the offseason.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants are all expected to be on the hunt for a star shortstop.

Heyman named Trea Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dansby Swanson of the Atlanta Braves, Xander Bogaerts of the Boston Red Sox and Carlos Correa of the Minnesota Twins as the top shortstops expected to hit the market and drum up a ton of interest once the 2022 season concludes.

Depending on what happens with the aforementioned shortstops, the Dodgers, Braves, Red Sox and Twins could be players in the shortstop market as well, since they will need replacements if their star shortstops sign elsewhere.

This marks the second consecutive year that shortstop is arguably the most stacked position in free agency, as Correa, Corey Seager, Javier Baez, Trevor Story and Marcus Semien were among the headliners of the 2021 class.

In terms of total value, Seager got the biggest deal at $325 million over 10 years. Baez, Semien and Story also did well for themselves, while Correa settled for a three-year deal with an opt-out clause after this season.

Part of the reason for Correa not landing a big contract was the fact that he waited until after the lockout to sign, which may have impacted his market.

That won't be an issue this offseason, which is why Turner, Swanson, Bogaerts and Correa are all expected to do well in free agency.

Turner, 29, has spent parts of the past two seasons in L.A. after a trade from the Washington Nationals and is in the midst of a fantastic season that has seen him hit .300 with 20 home runs, 97 RBI, 98 runs scored and 26 stolen bases.

As a two-time All-Star, one-time batting champion and one-time World Series champion with top-end speed, Turner promises to be highly sought after.

The 28-year-old Swanson is enjoying a career year with a .276 average, 22 homers and 92 RBI, and he helped the Braves win the World Series last season.

Bogaerts, who turns 30 on Saturday, is a four-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion during a 10-year career that has been spent entirely in Boston.

With a .309 batting average, Bogaerts is in the hunt for the American League batting titles, which would be the first of his career.

Correa, who is the youngest of the free-agent shortstops after just turning 28 this month, was a two-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion during his time with the Houston Astros, and has played well for the Twins this season, hitting .286 with 21 homers and 61 RBI.

Of the teams rumored to be heavily interested in the free-agent shortstops, the Cardinals are the only surefire playoff team this season, while the Phillies are battling for the final wild-card spot in the NL.

The Giants missed out on the playoffs after winning over 100 games last season, and the Cubs are in the midst of a rebuild.

Any of those teams would receive a huge boost upon signing one of the top shortstops and would perhaps close the gap between themselves and top NL teams like the Dodgers, Braves and New York Mets.

MLB executives reportedly predict "one of the best free-agent classes in recent memory" with several high-profile players planning to use opt-out clauses in their contracts to hit the open market.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday it's a group that includes New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts and San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodon.

Those players with options in their contracts for 2023 are expected to join a star-studded free-agent group also slated to include New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner.

Having so many notable names available in free agency will represent the first major test for MLB's collective bargaining agreement.

The league and the Players Association came to terms on a new CBA in March following a 99-day lockout. One of the biggest concerns raised by the union throughout the process was the "artificial restraints on free agency."

That came after the free-agent market became sluggish in recent years, which was basically a two-pronged problem.

On one hand, teams with the talent to contend were trying to avoid reaching the league's Competitive Balance Tax, MLB's version of a luxury tax, and opted for cheaper depth options.

On the other, a fair number of clubs fully embraced tanking, so they had no interest in signing free agents who would add significant payroll when the World Series wasn't a realistic target.

It left a small number of teams to compete for most of the market's biggest names, which led to long free-agent stays and contracts below expected value.

Initial returns from the new CBA were promising. Over $1 billion was spent on player contracts in the first 10 days after the deal was announced.

So now the focus shifts to this winter, where the money should once again be flying around if the CBA is working as intended for the players.

DeGrom and Verlander are two of the generation's best pitchers and could command salaries in the same ballpark as the $43.3 million starting pitcher Max Scherzer received from the Mets last offseason, which is the current highest salary in MLB, per Spotrac.

Hitters like Judge and Turner should also break the bank in the new CBA environment. The Yankees slugger has recorded 51 home runs so far in 2022, which is 15 more than any other player, and the Dodgers infielder is one of the sport's most well-rounded players.

The likes of Bogaerts, Correa and Rodon may not quite match the salaries of those top four, but they're also in line for lucrative contracts of their own.

All that said, if this year's free-agent market fails to live up to expectations in terms of team spending, grumblings about the CBA will likely begin anew.