Could Yankees Actually Trade Aaron Judge? MLB Insider Relays Speculation

Could the New York Yankees actually move franchise cornerstone Aaron Judge?

Well, with the 48-44 Yankees trying to stay above water while holding the fourth spot in the American League East, perhaps it’s not as crazy as once thought.

MLB insider Buster Olney made that rather clear Sunday night during the ESPN broadcast of Red Sox-Yankees from Yankee Stadium. The Yankees earned a 9-1 victory.

“So the word from other executives, from executives of other teams is, the perception of the Yankees five days ago was that they were definitely going to be buyers,” Olney said during the broadcast. “But I can tell you they are also watching them very closely in the aftermath of this COVID outbreak because, if they do collapse, executives of other teams are wondering will the Yankees flip and become sellers like they did in 2016 with Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller.

“Now, if that happens, the player that executives of other teams are really curious about is Aaron Judge who, of course, the Yankees have a very big decision they have to make with him before he becomes a free agent in 2022,” Olney continued. “Do they invest long term in him before his free agency? They’re going to have to make that choice between now and fall 2022. That’s why folks with other teams are wondering, ‘You know what, if it really goes badly for the Yankees in the next nine days, would they actually begin to consider making that big move the way they did with Chapman and Miller in 2016.’ ”

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Judge, of course, is far and away New York’s best player. He was recently named an American League All-Star and he leads team in home runs (21), RBIs, batting average and runs scored.

“At this moment we have actually no indication the Yankees have him out on the market place, but it is a situation being watched by other teams,” Olney said. “And they have really interesting speculation on who might be a match for a possible trade.”

The MLB trade deadline is set for July 30 at 4 p.m. ET.