- The New York Yankees rose to third in the latest World Series odds boards after securing Aaron Judge in free agency.
- Judge agreed to return to the Yankees on a nine-year $360 million year deal on Wednesday.
- The Houston Astros are still the odds-on favorite to win the 2022 World Series while the Los Angeles Dodgers have the second-best odds to win.
There was a real possibility that the New York Yankees could have lost Aaron Judge in free agency.
The San Francisco Giants came close at +170 to land Judge while the Los Angeles Dodgers were listed at +550 to sign the 2022 AL MVP at +550.
In the end, however, the Yankees ( who were the -165 favorite to retain him ) closed the deal and Judge made good on a statement he made last July, telling reporters that he wants to stay with the Yankees “for a long time”.
Aaron Judge Bet on Himself
Aaron Judge bet on himself. 💲 pic.twitter.com/SHhAjWaVdI
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) December 7, 2022
On Wednesday, Judge agreed to return to New York on a nine-year $360 million deal, giving him nearly $150 million more than what the team had offered him during the spring.
The Yankees offered Judge a seven-year $213.5 million extension before the start of the 2022 MLB season. The 30-year-old rejected the offer and instead chose to bet on himself.
The gambit worked out beautifully as the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year went on to slash .311/.425/.686 while breaking Roger Maris’ longtime AL single-season home run record with 62 home runs. Judge also narrowly missed winning the Triple Crown with Minnesota Twins infielder Luiz Arraez beating him with a .317 batting clip.
New York spoke with Judge repeatedly after the team was ousted in the AL Championship Series by eventual World Series winners Houston Astros and the team reportedly made an offer of $300 million over 8 years early in the offseason. The Giants upped the ante by dangling $360 million while the Padres reportedly made the biggest offer at $400 million over 10 years. The offers from San Francisco and San Diego gave Judge the final leverage he needed to land the highest annual salary for any position player.
Mike Trout’s $426.5 million deal is still the highest-valued contract in MLB history and is followed by Mookie Betts’ $365 million deal. But both contracts are for a dozen years. Judge’s contract is the third largest MLB contract ever as far as the total value is concerned and his $40 million average annual salary is the biggest ever in baseball.
How Yankees’ World Series Odds Moved After Judge Signed Deal
How the Yankees' World Series odds moved after Aaron Judge signed $360M deal https://t.co/03yj3Msnme pic.twitter.com/YOSQ4QrLMo
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) December 8, 2022
As it stands right now, the 2022 World Series winners Houston Astros are the +600 odds-on favorite to repeat as champions at the top MLB betting sites. The Los Angeles Dodgers have the second-best odds at +650 odds. But the Astros lost Justin Verlander and the Dodgers lost Trea Turner.
Those early free agency deals have moved the Yankees to third from +1100 before Wednesday to +900 after news of Judge re-signing with the team. The Yankees’ Subway Series rivals New York Mets are also jumped to +900 odds after acquiring Verlander and southpaw Jose Quintana.
But while you could argue that the gap has shrunk between the Astros, Dodgers, and the rest of the field, the Yankees still have plenty of work to do if they want to hang around with the Astros and Dodgers.
With Judge returning, the Yankees are virtually returning the same lineup for the 2023 season. Judge, Anthony Rizzo, and Giancarlo Stanton combine to form the heart of the New York Yankees’ lineup. DJ LaMahieu could also return to form after a full season to get healthy but the Yankees need an upgrade on the left side of the infield and need to add a solid member of a bullpen that was considered the team’s weakness last October.
In short, the Yankees’ free agency shopping is likely not done. And their World Series odds could even shorten further in the coming weeks.
