Aaron Judge reportedly will remain in pinstripes, and now the New York Yankees can switch gears in hopes of filling out the rest of their roster.
And that’s exactly what they’ll do, according to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal.
“With Judge set to return, the Yankees intend to accelerate other free-agent pursuits,” The Athletic wrote Wednesday morning after Judge’s massive contract was reported. “Left-hander Carlos Rodón, outfielder Andrew Benintendi and Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida are among the players in whom they have interest. The team has already re-signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo and reached an agreement with reliever Tommy Kahnle.”
The pursuit of Rodón shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Bronx Bombers have been linked to the former San Francisco Giants starter recently with the New York Post’s Jon Heyman expressing how the Yankees were “more focused” on Rodón than recently signed New York Mets pitcher Justin Verlander.
Similarly, Benintendi also has been connected to the Yankees. The free agent outfielder, who finished his 2022 campaign in the Bronx, was gaining interest from several clubs all while the Yankees were hoping to reunite, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported earlier this week.
Judge reportedly agreed to a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees on Wednesday morning. The reigning AL MVP was also courted by the Giants and San Diego Padres before making his decision to stay in New York.
