It’s been over a year and a half since Aaron Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million contract to stay with the New York Yankees. Back then, it seemed like the Yankees were mainly competing with the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres to sign him. But there was another surprise team interested: the Tampa Bay Rays.
Judge recently talked to Kristie Ackert from the Tampa Bay Times about the Rays’ interest before a game against them. He said, “It was a very respectful (offer), and I appreciated that they reached out and that they thought enough of me to do that,” adding how much he respects their team.
However, Judge admitted it was tough for him to imagine playing for Tampa Bay because he’s always been focused on beating them .
Unexpected Offer from Rays
According to Ackert, the Rays were ready to discuss a 10-year deal worth around $300 million. While that’s huge for the Rays, it wasn’t close to other offers. The Padres reportedly offered over $400 million, and the Giants put $360 million on the table.
Judge lives in Tampa Bay area, so staying there could have made sense during the season. But he chose to return to New York where he’s hit .286/.415/.643 (189 OPS+) with 69 home runs in 197 games since rejoining.
Fans might think it’s surprising that such an unexpected team made such a big offer.
Interestingly, this wasn’t new for the Rays. They also tried hard to sign Freddie Freeman before he joined Los Angeles Dodgers. Reports say their offer for Freeman was around $140 million.
What do you think about these unexpected moves by teams?
