Why Aaron Judge isn’t coming to the Mets next winter

Does Aaron Judge make sense for the New York Mets? According to the latest Mets rumors from Jon Heyman of the NY Post (yes, he’s based in New York now!), it’s unlikely to happen.

Heyman comes to this conclusion for a very simple reason: Steve Cohen thinks the New York Yankees gave Judge a fair offer.

The latest Mets rumors suggest Aaron Judge won’t be switching boroughs this offseason

Extension talks between the Yankees and Judge were a hot topic right before Opening Day. Judge reportedly was looking to make Mike Trout money and the Yankees weren’t willing to do so for several reasons. Two of those reasons: Judge’s history of injuries and the fact that he isn’t as good as Trout.

Ever since Cohen took over at 41 Seaver Way, Mets rumors have included just about every major free agent. His powerful wallet makes the idea of stealing Judge from the Yankees conceivable. He already put his money to work with the Francisco Lindor extension before last season began when the club signed him to the highest salary in franchise history. Back in November, Cohen helped set an MLB record when Max Scherzer received the highest AAV contract in the league’s history.

Fans won’t be too upset to hear about these new Mets rumors and an alleged lack of interest from the owner in making Judge a part of his plaything. As Rising Apple’s Neil Raymond covered for us last week, there are other players for the Mets to sign instead of Judge.

Signing Judge away from the Yankees always felt more like a power move than a practical one for the Mets. It’s a nice flex, but okay. It’s a lot of money to commit to a guy who has had trouble staying on the field. As great as Judge has been when healthy, it’s tough to justify paying him as much as he wants. The Yankees can go there because the contract would pay for past services. Other teams would be buying Judge in his expected prime but also decline.

We can expect Judge to make appearances at Citi Field in the coming seasons. Based on these rumors, it’ll only be in road greys. I think fans will be fine with this.