Baseball.........Anybody still interested?
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Shit, hell yeah... Alvarez, Judge & a Tucker outfield
Get another pitcher
None of them can play centerShit, hell yeah... Alvarez, Judge & a Tucker outfield
Nigga I'll go play center for free if we could land Judge
We ain’t tryin to lose 100 games again, stay home bruh lol
Anthony Rizzo staying with Yankees on $40 million contract
No deal yet for Aaron Judge, but the Yankees have struck a deal to keep another one of their big free agents.
nypost.com
Anthony Rizzo staying with Yankees on $40 million contract
By
Justin Tasch
November 15, 2022 4:29pm
2:02
No deal yet for Aaron Judge, but the Yankees have struck a deal to keep another one of their big free agents.
The Yankees and Anthony Rizzo have agreed on a two-year contract worth $34 million, The Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman confirmed. The Athletic first reported the news. The deal includes a third-year club option and a $6 million buyout.
Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (48) reacts after the final out of the game against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning in game five of the ALDS on Oct. 18, 2022.USA TODAY Sports
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Rizzo, 33, had opted out of a deal that would have paid him $16 million in 2023 to become a free agent. The three-time All-Star hit .224 with an .817 OPS, 32 home runs and 75 RBIs during the 2022 regular season, his first full year with the Yankees.
The Astros were reportedly among the teams interesting in signing Rizzo, if he decided to leave The Bronx.
Judge caps historic season with AL MVP award
Aaron Judge was crowned AL Most Valuable Player on Thursday night, beating out Shohei Ohtani of the Angels and Yordan Alvarez of the Astros.
Yankees' Aaron Judge caps historic season with AL MVP award
Aaron Judge etched a permanent spot in the memories of baseball fans when he set the American League single-season home run record and chased a Triple Crown down the stretch for the New York Yankees. Now, he has a final accolade to top his historic 2022.
The slugger was crowned AL Most Valuable Player on Thursday night, beating out Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros. He is the first Yankees outfielder to win the award since Mickey Mantle in 1962.
Judge received 28 first-place votes and 410 points, besting Ohtani (280) by 130 points. Ohtani was the only other player to receive first-place votes, with two. Alvarez had 232 points to finish third.
"It's tough to put in words," Judge said on MLB Network. "It's an incredible moment. A lot of hard work to get to this."
Judge said he felt extremely nervous leading up to the announcement.
"You never want to assume anything," he said.
AL MVP Voting
30 individual ballots were submitted for American League MVP, submitted by two writers representing each city in the AL:
�
| PLAYER, TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | 5TH | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Judge, Yankees | 28 | 2 | 410 | |||
| Shohei Ohtani, Angels | 2 | 28 | 280 | |||
| Yordan Alvarez, Astros | 22 | 8 | 232 | |||
| Jose Ramirez, Guardians | 6 | 11 | 5 | 186 | ||
| Jose Altuve, Astros | 6 | 9 | 142 | |||
| Andres Gimenez, Guardians | 2 | 3 | 5 | 141 | ||
| Julio Rodriguez, Mariners | 1 | 3 | 108 | |||
| -- Baseball Writers Association of America |
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman released a statement after the announcement congratulating Judge.
"Aaron's success was especially meaningful for our organization as we've been able to watch him grow throughout his professional career into the player and leader he has become -- an offensive force in the batter's box, a run preventer wherever we've put him on the field and someone who sets the tone in the clubhouse with his relentless commitment to winning," Cashman said. "He has been our MVP for quite some time now."
Judge became just the fourth major leaguer to hit 62 homers in a single season, joining Barry Bonds (73 in 2001), Mark McGwire (70 in 1998, 65 in 1999) and Sammy Sosa (66 in 1998, 63 in 1999). His .311 average fell five points shy of Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arraez for the batting title, which would have completed the Triple Crown.
"I'm grateful that I got to witness it first-hand and share in his magical year, especially given how much I respect I have for him as a player and as a person," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a statement. "I hope he can reflect on his extraordinary individual accomplishments and the impact he had on his teammates every single day and use them as fuel for continued excellence in the years to come."
The MVP honor caps a season that started with tumult around contract negotiations with the Yankees as he entered the final year of his deal. Judge set a self-imposed deadline of Opening Day to negotiate a potential extension, but the sides failed to come to an agreement. Cashman then took an unusual step in publicly revealing the terms of the contract the team offered Judge -- an eight-year, $230.5 million extension. Judge turned down the offer, expecting greater things if he hit the free agent market after this season.
Asked about free agency, Judge said his top priority is winning.
"For me, I want to win," Judge said. "I've come pretty close with the Yankees. ... My ultimate, most important thing is I want to be on a team with a winning culture and a commitment to winning. First and foremost, it's a winning culture and a winning future."
The season started relatively slowly for Judge, as he hit six homers in 75 at-bats in April. But once the calendar turned to May, Judge took off. The outfielder hit 12 homers that month, 11 in June, 13 in July, nine in August and 10 in September before hitting No. 62 on the final day of the regular season in October.
Judge's consistency from month to month served as the backbone for a New York offense that at points struggled to stay healthy and produce around him. By the end of the season, it ranked second behind the Los Angeles Dodgers with 807 runs.
As Judge approached Roger Maris' AL record of 61 homers, each of his at-bats became an event. At games both at Yankee Stadium and on the road, fans stood up every time he stepped into the batter's box and remained standing for every pitch. Members of the Yankees jostled for spots on the top step of the dugout to watch their teammate potentially make history.
Judge hit the record-tying 61st home run on Sept. 28, taking Toronto Blue Jays reliever Tim Mayza deep in the seventh inning in game No. 155 for the Yankees. The history-making homer ended a seven-game home run drought.
No. 62 did not come until Oct. 4, in the second-to-last game of the Yankees' season. The record-breaker came off Texas Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco, a leadoff shot to left field.
While Judge put together a regular season for the record book, he came up short during the postseason, hitting his worst stretch of the season as the Yankees played the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Division Series and the Astros in the AL Championship Series. In nine games, Judge hit .139/.184/.306 with two homers among five hits in nine games. The eventual World Series champion Astros ended the Yankees' season with a four-game sweep in the ALCS.
Judge now hits the free agent market prepared to get one of the biggest contracts of the offseason. Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner has said publicly that he wants Judge to be in pinstripes for the rest of his career.
Judge, Goldy slug their way to 1st MVP Awards
Much like when Aaron Judge gets a hold of one, there wasn’t much doubt about the outcome of this year’s American League Most Valuable Player voting. The real intrigue rested in the Senior Circuit, where co-Cardinals candidates Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado and Padres third baseman Manny...
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Dodgers non-tender Bellinger, now a free agent
Cody Bellinger was non-tendered by the Dodgers on Friday, a somewhat expected move that nonetheless encapsulates his precipitous downfall offensively.
Dodgers non-tender Cody Bellinger, making him a free agent
Cody Bellinger, a 27-year-old outfielder who was an MVP as recently as 2019, was non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, a somewhat expected move that nonetheless encapsulates his precipitous downfall offensively.
Bellinger was due to make something in the neighborhood of $18 million in 2023, which would have been his final season before free agency. Instead, he'll venture into the free agent market a year early, though the Dodgers and Bellinger's agent, Scott Boras, can renegotiate a different contract, perhaps one that covers multiple years at a lower rate.
Regardless, a Dodgers team coming off back-to-back 100-plus-win seasons is in sudden need of a center fielder -- and has cleared more than $100 million from its books, with the likes of Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Craig Kimbrel, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney and David Price off the roster. Bellinger continued to provide Gold Glove-caliber defense at that position, in addition to plus speed on the bases, but his struggles offensively became too much to stomach at his current rate.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that this is a closing of the chapter of Cody and the Dodgers," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "We still very much believe in the talent of Cody and his competitive makeup, and we have interest in a reunion. We'll continue talks with Cody and his group as he goes through this process on his end."
Teams faced an 8 p.m. ET deadline to decide whether to tender a 2023 contract to their players, which triggered a plethora of minor trades and pre-arbitration agreements. More than 70 players were ultimately non-tendered. Among the other notables: outfielders Dominic Smith (previously with the New York Mets), Raimel Tapia (Toronto Blue Jays), Franchy Cordero (Boston Red Sox) and Adam Engel (Chicago White Sox); catchers Jorge Alfaro (San Diego Padres) and Luis Torrens (Seattle Mariners); first baseman Luke Voit (Washington Nationals); utility man Brian Anderson (Miami Marlins); and relievers Trevor Gott (Milwaukee Brewers), Alex Reyes (St. Louis Cardinals), Kyle Funkhouser (Detroit Tigers), Jarlin Garcia (San Francisco Giants) and Anthony Gose (Cleveland Guardians).
Bellinger was named the National League's Most Valuable Player after a 2019 season in which he slashed .305/.406/.629 with 47 home runs, 115 RBIs and 15 stolen bases while being worth 7.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement. Since then, though, he has slashed just .203/.272/.376 over a stretch of 295 regular-season games. His .648 OPS from 2020 to 2022 ranked 299th out of the 338 qualified hitters during that stretch.
On the heels of an MVP award and coming off the COVID-19-shortened spring training, Bellinger rejoined the Dodgers in the summer of 2020 with an overhauled batting stance that he struggled with throughout the shortened season. He then suffered a shoulder injury during a home run celebration in the NL Championship Series that necessitated offseason surgery.
Recovering from that injury was seen as part of the reason for his struggles in 2021, when his batting average plummeted to .165. He switched to a more basic approach down the stretch -- lowering his hands, choking up on the bat -- and produced in the postseason, inspiring hope heading into 2022. But Bellinger struggled once more, batting .210 with 19 home runs in 144 games for a Dodgers team that set a franchise record with 111 victories. A telling sign came in the ensuing playoffs, right before the team was eliminated by the Padres in the NL Division Series, when Bellinger, a left-handed hitter, sat against an opposing right-hander in Game 4.
Friedman said he had conversations with other teams about a potential trade for Bellinger prior to the deadline but didn't go into detail. After not lining up, he delivered the news to Bellinger and had what Friedman described as "a really good conversation," adding: "Both sides want to continue talking."
"We still really believe in the talent of Cody and feel like he is as committed as ever to figure it out," Friedman said. "And that coupled with the talent that we have in our weight room, on our coaching staff, we feel like we, collectively, with him, can figure it out."
The Dodgers' 2023 payroll commitments are still largely dependent on whether an independent arbiter will uphold Trevor Bauer's record-long suspension stemming from sexual assault allegations, an initial two-year ban that lasts through the upcoming season. Bauer would count $34 million toward the Dodgers' 2023 competitive balance tax payroll, which is used to determine whether teams exceed the luxury-tax threshold. With Bauer -- and while also counting Clayton Kershaw, who has agreed to terms on a one-year deal that is expected to be about $20 million but has yet to be announced -- the Dodgers' CBT payroll stands at roughly $220 million. Without his salary, it's somewhere in the neighborhood of $185 million, $48 million below the first tier.
In addition to center field, the Dodgers -- hopeful of bringing Justin Turner back to play third base and serve as a designated hitter -- could still stand to add a shortstop and a starting pitcher. They can go to the top of the market to sign players like Aaron Judge, Brandon Nimmo, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom, or they can make more conservative additions and give opportunities to their promising crop of young players. The latter approach feels more likely. The Dodgers want to begin to incorporate their young players and seem weary about the luxury-tax threshold after exceeding it each of the past two years, which has resulted in tens of millions of dollars in penalties.
"Going over it is something that we've done with regularity, and it adds cost," Friedman said. "All of that gets factored in. It's never been, 'Hey, we have to get under.' It's been about putting the most talented team together. Obviously, we have been aggressive the last two years, and not just in terms of payroll but in terms of taxes paid as well. And all of that just gets factored in, and so as you're nearing the threshold, just as we've done every other year, that's just a factor in a decision on an acquisition.
"We're going to spend the next few months vetting all of our various options and trying to be aggressive as we can be, with balancing that with trying to give some opportunity to some of the talented young pitching that we have, some of the talented young position players."
4 moves Yankees need to make if they lose Judge
November 19th, 2022
Thomas Harrigan
@HarriganMLB
Many expect the Yankees to do what it takes to re-sign Aaron Judge. But what if they don’t?
Many expected the Cardinals to re-sign Albert Pujols after the 2011 season, and the Braves to re-sign Freddie Freeman after 2021. Neither did. Point is, when a player reaches the open market, anything is possible.
The Bronx Bombers may want to keep Judge, but there’s a chance he’ll get a better offer from the Giants or Dodgers and take the opportunity to return to his native California. Losing the reigning American League MVP would undoubtedly be devastating for the Yankees and their legion of fans, but the club would have to turn the page quickly.
• Judge surprises fans at MLB Store in NYC
Here are four moves New York could make if the unthinkable happened and Judge signed with another team.
1) Sign Carlos Correa or Trea Turner
This would be a must. New York might be satisfied with its current options at shortstop, which include prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza and the returning Isiah Kiner-Falefa. But if Judge is gone, the Yanks would need a superstar-level talent to fill the massive void left both on and off the field.
Enter Correa or Turner. Though neither would be able to directly replace Judge’s offensive output or some of the intangibles he brings to a roster, signing either of the top two shortstops on the market would do a lot to soften the blow of the Yanks losing their best player and to placate a disappointed fan base.
2) Sign Cody Bellinger
Even if the Yankees were able to land Correa or Turner, they’d still need to do something about their opening in right field. Brandon Nimmo, the second-best outfielder on the market after Judge, is a nice player who has New York experience, but he has Draft compensation attached to him after declining the Mets’ qualifying offer. Signing Nimmo would cost the Yankees their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2023 Draft (or their third- and sixth-highest picks if they also signed Turner, another QO free agent), plus $1 million from their international bonus pool.
So how about replacing one MVP with another by signing Bellinger instead? Bellinger hasn’t hit like an MVP since he won NL honors in 2019, of course, leading to him being non-tendered by the Dodgers on Friday. But the left-handed slugger is still only 27 years old. And however slim the chances are that he can recapture his MVP form at the plate, Belli is arguably the only free-agent outfielder who offers an offensive ceiling anywhere near Judge’s. He’s also a Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder who would give New York a capable defensive replacement for Judge in right.
It’s a worthwhile gamble for a Yanks organization that was able to resurrect the career of veteran Matt Carpenter just last season.
3) Sign Justin Verlander
With Gerrit Cole signed to a long-term deal and Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt under control through 2023 or longer, the Yankees’ rotation seems to be in decent shape heading into 2023. But there are also some question marks. First of all, New York lacks rotation depth, which could prove problematic after Severino, Montas and German all missed time with arm injuries in 2022. The Yanks are also counting on Cortes replicating last season’s breakout. What if he takes a step back?
For those reasons, the Yankees should strongly consider going after one of the top starters on the market even if Judge returns. And if he signs elsewhere? All the more reason to do it.
Of the top three free-agent starters -- Verlander, Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodón -- Verlander is arguably the most attractive option. He may be the oldest of the three by far, but he’s also the only one who doesn’t have a qualifying offer attached to him. He’ll require a shorter deal than Rodón and comes with fewer durability questions than deGrom, even with Tommy John surgery in his recent past.
Furthermore, signing Verlander would rectify a history-altering decision the Yankees made a half-decade ago. Yankees ownership’s unwillingness to take on Verlander’s contract when the Tigers made him available in 2017 may have cost the team multiple titles. The Astros ultimately traded for Verlander and went on to defeat the Yankees in that year’s ALCS, then knocked out New York in 2019 and 2022 as well.
The Yanks actually tried to sign Verlander when he reached free agency a year ago coming off Tommy John surgery, reportedly offering him a one-year deal for $25 million. But the right-hander went back to Houston for the same salary (plus a 2023 option) and turned in a Cy Young Award-winning campaign, his third.
It’s time, at long last, to fit Verlander for pinstripes.
4) Explore the trade market for another outfielder
In our hypothetical scenario, the Yankees would still be a bit short on offense. Their best chance to upgrade is in left field, where Aaron Hicks is currently penciled in as the 2023 starter. The 33-year-old’s seven-year, $70 million deal runs through 2025, but that might be a sunk cost for the Yanks after Hicks put up an 83 OPS+ with 12 homers in 162 games over the past two seasons.
Michael Conforto, Andrew Benintendi and Japanese star Masataka Yoshida are among the best free-agent outfielders without a QO attached to them, but it’s possible the previous three moves we mentioned would put New York close to its upper payroll limit.
If that’s the case, the trade market would make more sense, with the Cubs’ Ian Happ (controllable through 2023), the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds (controllable through 2025) and the D-backs’ Daulton Varsho (controllable through 2026) among the potential targets.
November 19th, 2022
Thomas Harrigan
@HarriganMLB
Many expect the Yankees to do what it takes to re-sign Aaron Judge. But what if they don’t?
Many expected the Cardinals to re-sign Albert Pujols after the 2011 season, and the Braves to re-sign Freddie Freeman after 2021. Neither did. Point is, when a player reaches the open market, anything is possible.
The Bronx Bombers may want to keep Judge, but there’s a chance he’ll get a better offer from the Giants or Dodgers and take the opportunity to return to his native California. Losing the reigning American League MVP would undoubtedly be devastating for the Yankees and their legion of fans, but the club would have to turn the page quickly.
• Judge surprises fans at MLB Store in NYC
Here are four moves New York could make if the unthinkable happened and Judge signed with another team.
1) Sign Carlos Correa or Trea Turner
This would be a must. New York might be satisfied with its current options at shortstop, which include prospects Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza and the returning Isiah Kiner-Falefa. But if Judge is gone, the Yanks would need a superstar-level talent to fill the massive void left both on and off the field.
Enter Correa or Turner. Though neither would be able to directly replace Judge’s offensive output or some of the intangibles he brings to a roster, signing either of the top two shortstops on the market would do a lot to soften the blow of the Yanks losing their best player and to placate a disappointed fan base.
2) Sign Cody Bellinger
Even if the Yankees were able to land Correa or Turner, they’d still need to do something about their opening in right field. Brandon Nimmo, the second-best outfielder on the market after Judge, is a nice player who has New York experience, but he has Draft compensation attached to him after declining the Mets’ qualifying offer. Signing Nimmo would cost the Yankees their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2023 Draft (or their third- and sixth-highest picks if they also signed Turner, another QO free agent), plus $1 million from their international bonus pool.
So how about replacing one MVP with another by signing Bellinger instead? Bellinger hasn’t hit like an MVP since he won NL honors in 2019, of course, leading to him being non-tendered by the Dodgers on Friday. But the left-handed slugger is still only 27 years old. And however slim the chances are that he can recapture his MVP form at the plate, Belli is arguably the only free-agent outfielder who offers an offensive ceiling anywhere near Judge’s. He’s also a Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder who would give New York a capable defensive replacement for Judge in right.
It’s a worthwhile gamble for a Yanks organization that was able to resurrect the career of veteran Matt Carpenter just last season.
3) Sign Justin Verlander
With Gerrit Cole signed to a long-term deal and Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Domingo Germán and Clarke Schmidt under control through 2023 or longer, the Yankees’ rotation seems to be in decent shape heading into 2023. But there are also some question marks. First of all, New York lacks rotation depth, which could prove problematic after Severino, Montas and German all missed time with arm injuries in 2022. The Yanks are also counting on Cortes replicating last season’s breakout. What if he takes a step back?
For those reasons, the Yankees should strongly consider going after one of the top starters on the market even if Judge returns. And if he signs elsewhere? All the more reason to do it.
Of the top three free-agent starters -- Verlander, Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodón -- Verlander is arguably the most attractive option. He may be the oldest of the three by far, but he’s also the only one who doesn’t have a qualifying offer attached to him. He’ll require a shorter deal than Rodón and comes with fewer durability questions than deGrom, even with Tommy John surgery in his recent past.
Furthermore, signing Verlander would rectify a history-altering decision the Yankees made a half-decade ago. Yankees ownership’s unwillingness to take on Verlander’s contract when the Tigers made him available in 2017 may have cost the team multiple titles. The Astros ultimately traded for Verlander and went on to defeat the Yankees in that year’s ALCS, then knocked out New York in 2019 and 2022 as well.
The Yanks actually tried to sign Verlander when he reached free agency a year ago coming off Tommy John surgery, reportedly offering him a one-year deal for $25 million. But the right-hander went back to Houston for the same salary (plus a 2023 option) and turned in a Cy Young Award-winning campaign, his third.
It’s time, at long last, to fit Verlander for pinstripes.
4) Explore the trade market for another outfielder
In our hypothetical scenario, the Yankees would still be a bit short on offense. Their best chance to upgrade is in left field, where Aaron Hicks is currently penciled in as the 2023 starter. The 33-year-old’s seven-year, $70 million deal runs through 2025, but that might be a sunk cost for the Yanks after Hicks put up an 83 OPS+ with 12 homers in 162 games over the past two seasons.
Michael Conforto, Andrew Benintendi and Japanese star Masataka Yoshida are among the best free-agent outfielders without a QO attached to them, but it’s possible the previous three moves we mentioned would put New York close to its upper payroll limit.
If that’s the case, the trade market would make more sense, with the Cubs’ Ian Happ (controllable through 2023), the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds (controllable through 2025) and the D-backs’ Daulton Varsho (controllable through 2026) among the potential targets.
Proposing 7 surprising free-agent ideas
We’re always hearing rumors about which teams might be favorites to land a star free agent, and that’s great. But what about teams that could swoop in, seemingly out of nowhere, to shock us with a big signing? The “out of the box” free-agent deal, if you will? We’ve certainly
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Shoei should have been ALMVP
Sexiest Men Alive? Clooney, The Rock ... & one of MLB's biggest stars
The verdict is in: Aaron Judge is one of the sexiest men alive. Sexier, in fact, than The Rock, but just a touch less smoldering than noted heartthrob George Clooney. Judge came in at No. 4 on the sneak peek at People's 2022 Sexiest Man Alive issue, which will have
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Details of Yankees’ Aaron Judge’s meeting with Giants emerge
The San Francisco Giants met Tuesday with New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge to court the American League MVP.
#HateUs
@Llano @SamSneed we re-sign Verlander and Uncle Mike, it's a wrap!
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@Llano @SamSneed we re-sign Verlander and Uncle Mike, it's a wrap!
Astros sign former AL MVP Abreu to 3-year deal
The Astros have signed first baseman Jose Abreu to a three-year deal, it was announced.
#HateUs
@Llano @SamSneed we re-sign Verlander and Uncle Mike, it's a wrap!
Astros sign former AL MVP Abreu to 3-year deal
The Astros have signed first baseman Jose Abreu to a three-year deal, it was announced.
Great replacement for Yuli
Rangers sign deGrom to blockbuster 5-year deal
The Texas Rangers have signed Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal, sources told ESPN.
@jack walsh13
#HateUs
@Llano @SamSneed we re-sign Verlander and Uncle Mike, it's a wrap!
Astros sign former AL MVP Abreu to 3-year deal
The Astros have signed first baseman Jose Abreu to a three-year deal, it was announced.
Holy Sh*t.
Rangers sign deGrom to blockbuster 5-year deal
The Texas Rangers have signed Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal, sources told ESPN.
@jack walsh13
McGriff elected to HOF; Bonds, Clemens left out
Former slugger Fred McGriff was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling denied once again.
