Rangers in Running to Sign Aaron Judge from Yankees

Texas' primary pursuit this offseason is starting pitching, but it didn't stop one site from listing the Rangers as a landing spot for the Yankees star.

Aaron Judge broke the American League home run record against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field to end the 2022 season.

Could Judge join the Rangers for 2023?

The Athletic listed Texas as one of six potential suitors for Judge, who is a free agent after this season. The Rangers also just hired a new manager in Bruce Bochy and are determined to win soon.

Judge has told the media on multiple occasions that he wants to stay with the New York Yankees. But he turned down an eight-year, $230.5 million contract extension before Opening Day. Now, after a potential MVP season, Judge could become the game’s highest-paid position player.

So, why does The Athletic think the Rangers could be a suitor? Well, money for one. Even though shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien have long-term contracts with big money, the Rangers’ entire payroll for 2023 is currently just $113 million, according to RosterResource.com. The Rangers have just six players under contract. The rest are under team control and are either eligible for some sort of arbitration or in pre-arbitration.

In other words, the Rangers are really young and have money to spend.

Judge, of course, isn’t a pitcher. The Athletic acknowledged that, saying the Rangers’ first choice is to pursue starting pitching, such as San Francisco Giants All-Star Carlos Rodón. The Rangers have been clear that pitching is its primary focus, too.

Rangers owner Ray Davis wants Texas to be competitive.

“It's interesting to note that the two highest payroll teams in baseball didn't play this weekend,” Davis said. “So it's just not about the money. It's partially that, but I've made a commitment to (Rangers general manager Chris Young) that we're going to spend the money that it takes to put a competitive team on the field. And it's not just for one year. We're looking to put a competitive team on the field for multiple years. So to answer your question, I don't know where the payroll is gonna end up. But we'll be competitive.”

Pursuing and signing Judge feels like a long shot. But the Rangers could afford it, along with adding front-line starting pitching.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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