It’s only been two days of the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings.
But we’ve gotten a bunch of big moves and rumors of more to come. The Hot Stove is SCALDING!
And JUST before publishing this, news broke that the biggest name in free agency, Aaron Judge, agreed to stay with the New York Yankees, per reports. Which means our list of winners and losers from the meetings so far had to change juuust a little bit as Day 3 of the MLB Winter Meetings started up with this HUGE news.
Let’s start with the good news and follow up with the bad:
Winners: New York Yankees and Aaron Judge
Well, duh.
Seemed like the only other team to have a shot at him was the San Francisco Giants, and losing the man who swatted all the home runs last year would have been a massive blow to a true contender.
But he’s staying.
Sources: Aaron Judge is in agreement with the #Yankees. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 7, 2022
And Judge? When he officially signs, he’ll be getting a ton of money … over NINE YEARS!!!
Source confirms: Aaron Judge in agreement with Yankees, nine years, $360M. First: @JonMorosi.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2022
Winners: Older pitchers
Max Scherzer’s bonkers contract from the New York Mets last year set the stage for Justin Verlander’s two-year, $86.6 million deal from … the New York Mets.
Age is just a number when it comes to Cy Young winners, apparently. Just ask Clayton Kershaw, who got $20 million for a year to stay with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’s not quite at Verlander and Scherzer’s ages, but at 34 and his healthier days behind him, he fits in the category.
The point is: Teams are willing to take the short-term but expensive risk for these vets.
Winners: MLB fans on Twitter
he deleted it but the internet will not forget arson judge pic.twitter.com/jG96W0CFvk
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) December 6, 2022
Arson Judge pic.twitter.com/OpRFHN92NE
— Mark Gooden (@TooGooden17) December 6, 2022
Winners: Philadelphia Phillies
[Dave Dombrowski and Sam Fuld shoves a large stack of chips to the center of the table.]
They made the World Series just a few months ago and see a window opening. So the Phils opened up the wallet and plunked down a TON of money on Trea Turner, plus a decent-sized contract for ex-Mets pitcher Taijuan Walker.
ALL IN!
Winner: Carlos Correa's price tag
Thanks to Turner getting $300 million, feels like Correa could get a lot more money than we might have thought previously.
Losers: Boston Red Sox
This isn’t just because of the Yankees re-signing Aaron Judge.
It’s because they finished last in the AL East this year, and it feels like there’s a chance they let Xander Bogaerts walk, which would be yet another big name who doesn’t get a long-term contract from the franchise.
BTW, let’s all give a standing ovation to Bogaerts’ agent Scott Boras for this gem (via MLB.com):
“The Red Sox, they kind of have four-star ownership,” said Boras. “These guys have proven over time that they win and they pursue winning. I think if there’s anybody, I think everyone around them understands the Sox without ‘X’ are so-so.”
Losers: San Francisco Giants fans
Tuesday’s Arson Judge news is the only thing they’ll have instead of Aaron Judge coming to play for his favorite childhood team.
RIP San Francisco Giants Legend Arson Judge
12/6/22 – 12/6/22 pic.twitter.com/nFwwuFnx80— Hunter Walker (@hunterw) December 7, 2022
TBD: Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers
Two middling teams who spent some serious money. The Cubs inked Jameson Taillon and Cody Bellinger. The Rangers added Jacob deGrom and Andrew Heaney to a suddenly-intriguing rotation.
Why TBD if they’re winners or losers? Well, there’s A LOT more work to be done if they want to compete in 2022.
