AL East

The Boston Red Sox's disappointing 2022 season is over, and the club will embark on a journey to keep star shortstop Xander Bogaerts in 2023 and beyond.

Red Sox management, including owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner, has already begun that process, meeting with Bogaerts "several times" in the last week to express that retaining him is the club's "top priority," according to Sean McAdam of Boston Sports Journal.

The sides did not engage in actual contract discussions during these meetings, which were conducted without Bogaerts' agent, Scott Boras, per McAdam.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said this week, per McAdam:

"That's no different than where we've been. Our position hasn't changed on that. I've said this before, but nothing I say really matters unless there's a deal. But our position has been the same -- that we want to keep him here for a long time and we want him here on a deal that we're going to look back on and say, 'This was great for everybody.' ...We want to build around him and win.''

Bogaerts, who is widely expected to decline his $20 million player option for 2023, said last week that he hadn't "given any thought" about the opt-out and was going to wait until after the season to decide "what's best."

If he opts in, he would be under contract with the Red Sox through 2026 at $20 million per year, which is below market value for an elite shortstop.

Star shortstops Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and Corey Seager all put pen to paper on deals worth at least $30 million annually over the last year. It's unclear if Bogaerts will receive a pact worth that much, but he will likely be offered more than $20 million per year on the open market.

Before the 2022 campaign began, the Red Sox offered Bogaerts a deal that would have paid him $90 million over four years, which would have replaced the final years of his current deal and run through 2026. One of his friends told Jon Heyman of the New York Post the offer was viewed as a "slap in the face."

While the Red Sox finished last in the AL East with a 78-84 record and missed the playoffs, Bogaerts had a solid season. He was one of Boston's best and most consistent hitters, slashing .307/.377/.456 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and eight stolen bases in 150 games.

The 30-year-old has spent his entire 10-year career with the Red Sox, helping the team win two World Series titles and earning four All-Star selections and four Silver Slugger awards.

The BoSox have exclusive negotiating rights with Bogaerts until the end of the World Series. If the sides are unable to strike a deal, he can then begin negotiations with other franchises should he opt out.

If Bogaerts signs with another team, the Red Sox have a solid backup plan in Trevor Story, who can shift back to his natural position at shortstop from second base, but then they will be left with questions about who to play at second in 2023.

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said third baseman Rafael Devers is "hugely important" to the team's future after it missed the 2022 MLB playoffs.

Bloom stated Thursday the Red Sox "would like to" get a contract extension done with Devers, who's set to enter his final year of arbitration in 2023.

When asked about a potential Devers trade, Bloom told reporters, "That's not on our radar."

The 25-year-old infielder has been a key cog in Boston's lineup since getting called up to the major leagues in 2017. He's compiled a .283/.342/.512 slash line with 139 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 689 appearances across six seasons.

Devers ranked sixth among qualified third basemen in WAR (4.9) during the 2022 season, per FanGraphs.

His individual success wasn't enough to help the Red Sox contend in the highly competitive AL East, though. They finished last in the division with a 78-84 record. It marked the third time in the past four years the club missed the playoffs.

The Dominican Republic native told Christopher Smith of MassLive last week he's hopeful the team will re-sign both himself and shortstop Xander Bogaerts.

"That would be really nice," Devers said. "I hope it happens like you said—they sign Bogey long term and then me long term. But I don't know what's going to happen. The only thing I know is to play ball. I don't know about [contract] numbers or anything like that. I'll leave that to the team and my agent."

The two-time All-Star signed a one-year, $11.2 million contract with Boston in March. He'll be in line to receive another boost to his base salary for 2023 via arbitration.

For now, Bloom is maintaining the club's desire to keep the third baseman for the long haul, but the key question is whether that stance will change if the sides can't agree on a long-term deal.

The Red Sox can't afford to watch Devers leave in free agency after the 2023 season without getting assets in return, so the options boil down to an extension or a trade.

Both sides are expressing interest in going the new-contract route, but the next handful of months will show whether that's a realistic outcome.

Aaron Judge fell short in his quest to become Major League Baseball's first triple-crown winner in a decade.

Judge, the presumptive favorite to win the American League MVP award, finished five points behind Minnesota Twins star Luis Arraez for the batting title. The New York Yankees slugger sat out Wednesday's season finale, keeping him at .311 for the season.

Arraez went 1-for-1 with two walks in three plate appearances against the Chicago White Sox before he was pulled in the top of the third. His final average was .316.

.@Arraez_21 is lifted for a pinch-runner with his .316 average.

Congrats on a great season, Luis! 👏👏👏#EyesOnArraez 👀 pic.twitter.com/RW0vJlspd9

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 5, 2022

Judge played 54 consecutive games dating back to Aug. 6. He did lobby to start Wednesday's game, but Yankees manager Boone told reporters he made the call to sit his superstar right fielder.

"I think in the end we’re good either way and I just decided," Boone said. "It was a short conversation."

Judge was in the starting lineup for both games of Tuesday's doubleheader. He hit his AL-record 62nd homer to leadoff the second game and was pulled in the bottom of the second inning.

SIXTY-TWO! BASEBALL HISTORY! @TheJudge44 is the American League home run King! pic.twitter.com/QKrcuOvZMU

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 5, 2022

Judge's final stat line for the 2022 regular season is .311/.425/.686 with 62 homers, 131 RBI, 133 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. He led MLB in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, homers, runs scored and tied for most RBI with New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

After going 2-for-4 in a victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 23, Judge was hitting .317 and moved ahead of Arraez in the race for the batting title. His pursuit of the home-run record may have led to him pressing a little bit, as he only hit .216 over the next 13 games. He still got on base at a .473 clip during that span, so it wasn't all bad news.

But the brief dip in hitting production allowed Arraez to move back into the top spot. The 25-year-old closed the season on fire with a .385 average in his past 26 at-bats entering play on Wednesday.

Future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera remains the last MLB player to win the triple crown. He led the AL in batting average (.330), homers (44) and RBI (139) during the 2012 season for the Detroit Tigers to win the first of his back-to-back MVP awards.

Judge's next task will be helping the Yankees in their quest to win the World Series for the first time since 2009. They will host the winner of the Tampa Bay Rays-Cleveland Guardians series in the American League Division Series starting on Tuesday.

The ball that New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit for his 62nd home run is undoubtedly worth a fortune, but it's not the only thing from the historic moment that carries a hefty price tag.

David Kohler of SCP Auctions told TMZ Sports that Judge's uniform, bat, cleats, batting helmet and batting gloves from Tuesday night could all be sold for an eye-popping number:

"Certainly the bat, the tool, the trade that he used yesterday to hit this historical milestone home run. That bat's worth a lot of money and the uniform he wore. Those are Aaron Judge's basically right, so I'm sure he's keeping those, but again if we had those at auction, in our firm, SCP Auctions, that's gonna probably bring, for a pair, probably a million dollars. Of course, his cleats that he wore, his batting helmet of course--all those things are gonna bring big bucks for this very historical moment."

Judge set the American League record when he homered off Jesus Tinoco to lead off the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers. The ball could be sold for a historic value, though the fan who caught it, Cory Youmans, told reporters he hasn't decided what to do with it.

"This baseball's worth a lot of bucks!" Kohler said. "Our estimate actually, with everything that's gone on in the last week or two leading up to the last game yesterday, our estimate is over $2 million for this baseball!"

Cory Youmans, the fan who caught New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge's American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball, was offered $2 million by a memorabilia company for the prized possession.

JP Cohen, the president of memorabilia company Memory Lane Inc., told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he texted and emailed Youmans the offer.

"I feel the offer is way above fair, if he is inclined to sell it," Cohen said.

Judge led off the Yankees' 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers on Tuesday evening with a homer to break the all-time American League single-season record, which had been held by Yankees right fielder Roger Maris for 61 years.

Youmans was asked what he planned to do with the ball as he was escorted by security within the stadium.

#Rangers Security whisked away a Dallas man by the name of Corey Youmans who caught Judge’s 62nd home run ball.
#62 pic.twitter.com/lP7jequjIJ

— Joe Trahan (@JoeTrahan) October 5, 2022

"That's a good question," Youmans said. "I haven't thought about it."

The all-time sale record for a home run ball is $3 million after Phil Ozersky caught Mark McGwire's then-MLB record 70th home run.

As for Judge's blast, Cohen had offered $2 million for the ball before the AL record was broken.

$2 million: The price offered by @MemoryLaneInc for Judge Home Run Ball No. 62. Memorabilia dealer @RickProbstein had previously offered $200,000.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 23, 2022

He told the AP that offer was "still valid."

Aaron Judge has made history.

The New York Yankees slugger blasted home run No. 62 on Tuesday, the most ever hit in one season among American League players.

Remember where you were when #AaronJudge made history. 6️⃣2️⃣ #AllRise pic.twitter.com/w4kbDJf5ZC

— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2022

A season unlike any other in the history of our game.

Congratulations on 6⃣2⃣, Aaron! pic.twitter.com/M7RsjcNxbT

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 5, 2022

Unsurprisingly, Twitter gave the man his flowers after the historic achievement:

AARON JUDGE HAS DONE IT 🚨

62 HOME RUNS, THE NEW AMERICAN LEAGUE RECORD pic.twitter.com/7Idn338pF4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 5, 2022

Congrats @TheJudge44 on home run 62. History made, more history to make.

— President Biden Archived (@POTUS46Archive) October 5, 2022

Congrats @TheJudge44 on 62! Postseason next!!!

— Derek Jeter (@derekjeter) October 5, 2022

ALL RISE.

History

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) October 5, 2022

https://twitter.com/molly_knight/status/1577450908396318720

ALL RISE FOR 62.

Aaron Judge sets a new American League record for home runs in a single season! pic.twitter.com/w80aHwIkob

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 5, 2022

BREAKING: No more live check ins!!! https://t.co/enWNxNxUIm

— Paige (@ThatSportsPaige) October 5, 2022

ALL RISE!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 @TheJudge44 @Yankees

— Eric LeGrand (@EricLeGrand52) October 5, 2022

https://twitter.com/lindseyadler/status/1577452125864747008

https://twitter.com/TheWilderThings/status/1577452603428179969

Holding the Yankees home run record is really the story, that’s iconic status for Aaron Judge

— Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) October 5, 2022

I was watching a YouTube video and I wish someone had cut in to show me the Judge home run as it happened.

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 5, 2022

There's a new American League home run king in town 🧑‍⚖️ pic.twitter.com/ye9Olqwbx0

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 5, 2022

The previous record-holder was the Yankees' Roger Maris, who hit 61 home runs in 1961. Keeping in the tradition of Yankees holding the record, he had passed Babe Ruth and his 60 homers from the 1927 season.

Judge won't be setting the MLB record for single-season homers, though. He sits just seventh in the all-time list:

1. Barry Bonds: 73 in 2001
2. Mark McGwire: 70 in 1998
   
3. Sammy Sosa: 66 in 1988
   
4. McGwire: 65 in 1999
   
5. Sosa: 64 in 2001
   
6. Sosa: 63 in 1999
   

Given that Bonds, McGwire and Sosa were linked to steroids, some consider Judge's achievement the de facto MLB record. Officially, however, Bonds still holds the mark.

My opinion, which nobody asked for but it’s my account: The Bonds, McGwire, Sosa records are tainted and not really the record, but I’m also not that into the Judge chase or whether that’s the record, and that’s what’s sad about the steroid era: It made the records irrelevant. https://t.co/19EzVMEZXK

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) September 29, 2022

Roger Maris Jr. said that if Aaron Judge hits 62 home runs, he should be celebrated as the single-season home run champ.

Asked if he considers Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire illegitimate, Maris said: "I do. I think most people do."

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 29, 2022

But Judge holding the record for the Yankees and the entire American League—topping historical figures such as Ruth, Maris, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson, among others—is nothing worth diminishing.

"That's one thing so special about the Yankees organization, is all the guys that came before us and kind of paved the way and played the game the right way, did things the right way, did a lot of great things in this game, and getting a chance to be mentioned with those guys now is, I can't even describe it, it's an incredible honor that's for sure," Judge told reporters after tying Maris' mark.

"I got to believe it's right there with some of the best very short list of all-time seasons," his manager, Aaron Boone, added at the time. "I go back to the context of the season, and the more I look at it and dive into it, it's got to be an all-time great season."

At the very least, it appears Judge will beat out Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani for the AL MVP award. There's little doubt he's compiled a special season for the Yankees as they prepare for an October postseason run.

The New York Yankees' short-handed bullpen took another hit Tuesday after the team placed right-handed relief pitcher Ron Marinaccio on the injured list with a stress reaction in his right shin.

Manager Aaron Boone told the news to reporters:

The #Yankees place reliable reliever Ron Marinaccio on the IL with a stress reaction in his right shin. ‘It’s a blow,’ manager Aaron Boone says. He will be out at least until the ALCS if #Yankees advance past the division series.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 4, 2022

Marinaccio, who sports a 2.05 ERA in 40 appearances, isn't eligible to return until the American League Championship Series round should the Yankees make it that far.

The Yanks are the AL's No. 2 seed and will skip the wild-card round to head to the AL Division Series against a to-be-determined opponent.

Marinaccio was removed from the eighth inning of his team's 3-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday because of the injury. He had retired all three batters faced.

The Yankees bullpen has taken big hits all year.

Chad Green, Zack Britton and Michael King are all out for the season. All-Star closer Clay Holmes is day-to-day because of a right shoulder strain. Wandy Peralta is working his way back from left thoracic spine tightness. Miguel Castro just returned from a shoulder injury and a stint on the 60-day IL.

Now Marinaccio will miss some time. It's a big loss for the Yankees, as the 27-year-old has been one of the Yankees' best and most consistent relievers this season. The rookie notably allowed just one earned run over 23 appearances from May 22 to Aug. 22.

For now, the Yankees will finish out their regular season with three games against the Texas Rangers. Their first playoff game will be on Oct. 11.

The Tampa Bay Rays have clinched their fourth straight playoff berth after Friday's 7-3 victory over the Houston Astros.

Facing American League Cy Young contender Framber Valdez, the Rays got to him for six runs in 5.1 innings. Yandy Diaz's two-out, two-run double in the top of the sixth broke the game open.

Putting together a quality inning here pic.twitter.com/BLQwDX3Fy1

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 1, 2022

Drew Rasmussen turned in one of his best starts of the season with two runs allowed over seven innings against the AL West champions.

A deep starting rotation and bullpen have buoyed the Rays back into the playoffs. Shane McClanahan has led the charge on the mound with a 12-7 record, a 2.51 ERA and 192 strikeouts. He also sports a 0.92 WHIP.

Fellow American League All-Star Game starters Jeffrey Springs and Rasmussen have also posted sub-three ERA this year en route to guiding Tampa Bay to the second-lowest team ERA in the American League.

The bullpen has been lights out as well. The Rays don't sport a traditional closer, with numerous relievers getting their shot on any given night.

But those relief pitchers have been up to the task. Jason Adam has been the best of the bunch with a 1.56 ERA and eight saves in 63.1 innings. Brooks Raley has also been sensational with a 2.70 ERA.

The pitching staff has carried a team that has sported an average batting lineup at best. Diaz (team-high .825 OPS) and Randy Arozarena (20 home runs, 89 RBI) have been the best of the bunch, but injuries to Brandon Lowe, Mike Zunino and Kevin Kiermaier have led to some team-wide struggles. Tampa is just 11th in homers and OPS in the AL overall.

Still, a great pitching staff could go a long way toward a deep playoff run for the Rays, which are looking for their first pennant since 2008 and first-ever World Series victory.

The Rays are still jockeying for playoff positioning with five games left in the regular season. They are currently the No. 3 wild card in the AL, trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by two games as the No. 1 wild card and Seattle Mariners by one-half game for the second spot.

The top two wild-card teams will play each other in a three-game series. The No. 3 wild card will take on the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians.

The Toronto Blue Jays have clinched a spot in the playoffs Thursday thanks to the Baltimore Orioles' 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

It will be just the second postseason appearance in the last six seasons for the Blue Jays, with the other coming during the shortened 2020 season. The team was swept out of the first wild-card round that year.

Toronto will again compete in the wild-card round after the New York Yankees clinched the AL East.

The Blue Jays are still a dangerous team, however, as they possess one of the best offenses in baseball.

The lineup ranks first in the majors with a .260 batting average, while power hitters Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Matt Chapman, Bo Bichette and George Springer can change a game with one swing of the bat.

On the mound, Alek Manoah has developed into an ace while earning his first All-Star selection this season. Kevin Gausman and Ross Stripling have also had strong seasons and provide some much-needed postseason experience on this young roster.

All-Star closer Jordan Romano has had some bumps in the road as of late, but the team should still have confidence in the right-hander going into the playoffs.

With talent throughout the lineup and a World Series MVP capable of taking over in Springer, Toronto could be a scary opponent for the AL's top teams.

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge said he felt "some relief" after tying Roger Maris' American League record with his 61st home run Wednesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

https://twitter.com/MarlyRiveraESPN/status/1575317635994091520

Judge ended a seven-game homer drought with a seventh-inning blast off Toronto relief pitcher Tim Mayza as part of an 8-3 Yanks road win at the Rogers Centre.

61 years since 61.

Aaron Judge has written his name alongside Roger Maris in baseball's record books. pic.twitter.com/1V4Gums34C

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 29, 2022

It's been a career year for the 30-year-old California native, who's also in the running for the AL Triple Crown. He's tied with the Minnesota Twins' Luis Arraez in batting average (.313) and leads the Junior Circuit in runs batted in (130).

His dominance of the home run charts is the main story, however, as his 61 long balls are 19 more than anyone else in baseball. It's not like the steroid or juiced-ball eras where there was a league-wide surge in homers; he's just a one-man wrecking crew this year.

So it left enough time for him to tie Maris, who played for New York from 1960 through 1966, despite the recent homer-less drought, and he'll likely establish a new AL mark in the coming days.

"It's an incredible honor to get a chance to be associated with one of the Yankee greats, one of the baseball greats," Judge told reporters. "To be enshrined with them forever, words can't describe it. That's one thing that's so special about the Yankee organization, all the guys that came before us and paved the way, played the game the right way."

He'll still face some individual pressure over the regular season's final seven games as he attempts to establish the new AL record, but his MVP-level campaign has helped the Yankees clinch the AL East title and at least the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs.

Judge is still not interested in shifting the focus to himself, though.

"My game plan is what got me to this point," he said. "I never really thought it would be fair to my teammates or the Yankees to be up here trying to chase a record. My job is to go out there and be the best hitter I can be."

His first chance to hit No. 62 will come Friday night when the Yanks host the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.