The Rays tried, but Aaron Judge couldn’t imagine joining the Yankees’ rival

ST. PETERSBURG — The fall of 2022 has been filled with the kind of twists and turns Aaron Judge expected. After breaking Roger Maris’ American League home run record with 62, the powerhouse outfielder entered the offseason as the biggest name on the market.

When he turned down the Yankees’ offer to enter free agency, Judge knew he would at least entertain the idea of ​​leaving his comfort zone in New York and talking to teams across the country.

“I was kind of expecting to see the Giants and the Padres,” Judge, a California native, said Tuesday, “and it was different because they weren’t teams we see all the time (playing in the American League).”

But there was one team the judge didn’t expect to hear from.

“The Rays, that surprised me,” he said. “And just because they were a division rival doesn’t mean I spent my whole career trying to plan a game against them.”

Judge confirmed that the Rays have contacted his agent, Page Odle, to express interest in speaking with him, as first reported in Bryan Hoch’s 2023 book “62.”

The Rays were reportedly willing to discuss a contract of around 10 years and $300 million.

“It was a very respectful offer, and I appreciated that they reached out to me and thought enough of me to do it,” Judge said. “And I respect their team. I respect what they’ve built here. They’ve got a good club, and they’ve got a solid team.

“But it was very difficult to think about it (playing for them), because I spent my whole career planning games against them and trying to beat them.”

Still, the Rays thought it was worth a try.

Judge and his wife, Samantha, made Tampa their home this offseason. Aaron was spotted at Bucs and Lightning games. Given his connection to the community and his status as a generational player, he could have become the immediate face of the Rays and changed the narrative around the franchise as it tried to build a new stadium and a future in Tampa Bay.

The Rays had made a similar offer a year earlier, contacting Freddie Freeman’s agent and giving him the parameters of a contract they would be comfortable with. In that case, the market for the first baseman, who had signed with the Dodgers, was slow enough that it was known the Rays had made an offer.

With Judge, he got lost in the bidding war between the Padres, Giants and Yankees, who ultimately won back their captain with a nine-year, $360 million contract.

Judge, however, remains a part-time Tampa resident and is interested in the Rays’ plans to build a new stadium in the area.

“I go to hockey games at Amalie Arena in the offseason and see the support they get there. I just hope the Rays can get a stadium that helps them get that kind of support,” Judge said. “They’ve had a really good team for a couple of years now. I hope it works out for them.”

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