With the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings taking place this week in San Diego, the Los Angeles Dodgers remain among the teams connected to Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, Trea Turner and Justin Verlander, among other top free agents.
The Dodgers have clear needs at shortstop and in their starting rotation, which has fueled their reported interest in the likes of Xander Bogaerts, Correa, Turner and Verlander.
Right field is less of a need, but the Dodgers also are believed to be willing to sign Aaron Judge. The general sense is Judge will either re-sign with the New York Yankees or join the San Francisco Giants.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers may only want to sign Judge if it is on a short-term contract with a high average annual value, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic
The Dodgers are believed to want Judge only on a short-term, high-dollar deal.
That the Dodgers would prefer signing Judge to a contract that would be at a higher AAV rather than several years is hardly a surprise.
They took the same approach when Bryce Harper by offering a reported four-year, $180 million contract when he was a free agent prior to the 2019 season. That would have given Harper the highest annual salary in MLB history, but he instead signed a mega contract with the Philadelphia Phillies for 13 years and $330 million.
Judge doesn’t figure to be lured by the Dodgers’ high AAV approach, particularly with the latest sentiment that he is likely to receive a nine-year contract.
Mookie Betts would change positions for Aaron Judge
If the Dodgers pull off a stunner and sign Judge, they conceivably could play him in left field. However, Mookie Betts is open to changing positions and playing second base.
Betts played second base on occasion this past season as a means of reducing his workload.
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