MLB Free Agent Predictions: Where will marquee free agents Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom and Trea Turner end up?
There are three top free agents this year: Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom and Trea Turner. In most years, each of these would be the best player on the market, but this year they have to compete with each other. All three will probably hear from almost every team this winter as they try and decide where to play next.
The New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will want to re-sign their respective stars. However, since they've hit the open market, that's not a foregone conclusion. They can now go anywhere. Where will each of them end up?
Jacob deGrom
Jacob deGrom will have no shortage of suitors. His opting out doesn't preclude a return to the Mets this offseason, but another team might offer a lot more since he's available. That team is probably going to be the San Diego Padres. They have $50 million coming off the books and would love to bolster the roster that just took them to the NLCS.
Padres GM A.J. Preller has never been afraid of making big signings, and deGrom in San Diego would make them a legitimate title contender.
Trea Turner
Turner is reportedly not opposed to signing in Los Angeles again, despite rumors that he favors playing in the east. He loved playing in Washington and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him return to that area.
The Dodgers have plenty of money to re-sign him, but he may not want to play there if a team closer to home offers him a contract.
The Philadelphia Phillies would have to rework their infield a little bit, but they've been linked to Turner for a long time. Don't be surprised to see the shortstop in red and white next year.
Aaron Judge
Almost every team will make a run at the American League home run king. The competition is going to be very steep. The San Francisco Giants and Dodgers are reportedly all in on Judge and they have plenty of money to spend.
However, their chief competition does, too. The Yankees have no shortage of money and they know what the optics will be if they fail to re-sign their outfielder.
He's expressed a desire to be a Yankee for life, so perhaps the contract is longer than the team would like, but they have the financial stability to do whatever they want. That likely means keeping their right fielder home for the future.