AL East rival made big contract offer to Aaron Judge

Aug 23, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) runs to first base after hitting a single against the Atlanta Braves during the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Judge received interest from several teams in free agency two years ago. One of those teams apparently was a rival squad.

The Tampa Bay Rays are believed to have talked with Judge about a 10-year, $300 million contract prior to last season, the Tampa Bay Times’ Kristie Ackert reported in a story published on Wednesday.

The $300 million offer over 10 years is for less money than the 9-year, $360 million deal Judge received from the Yankees. The Padres offered Judge a heavily deferred $400 million deal, while the Giants also offered the outfielder $360 million. The Rays’ contract to Judge was for less than what the others were offering, but Judge still was honored by their effort.

“It was a very respectful (offer), and I appreciated that they reached out and that they thought enough of me to do that,” Judge said , via The Tampa Bay Times.

Judge also said the idea of playing for the Rays after playing against them his whole career would have been weird.

The 32-year-old has delivered for the Yankees since signing his deal. Though he played in 106 games last season, he still posted a 1.019 OPS. This season he leads the league in home runs (32), RBIs (83), slugging percentage (.677) and OPS (1.103).

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