AL East

Free-agent relief pitcher Kenley Jansen has agreed to a two-year, $32 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jansen burst onto the MLB scene in 2010 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, posting a 0.67 ERA in 25 games.

Two years later, he became Los Angeles' full-time closer, a role he held for 10 years.

The three-time All-Star and 2020 World Series champion amassed 350 saves and a 2.37 ERA during his time in Dodger Blue.

After the 2021 campaign, Jansen signed a one-year, $16 million contract with the Braves. He went 5-2 with a 3.38 ERA and 41 saves in 2022.

Jansen has now moved on to his third team in three years. Boston is getting one of the game's most accomplished closers as he enters his 14th MLB campaign.

It could help solidify the bullpen after the Red Sox used a closer by committee last season with no one who reached double-digit saves. John Schreiber, Tanner Houck and Matt Barnes were among those who filled the role as the squad finished in last place in the AL East at 78-84.

Aaron Judge will remain with the New York Yankees in a signing that could affect all of MLB.

After a year's worth of back and forth and a lot of interest from the rest of baseball, the outfielder agreed to a nine-year, $360 million deal with the Yankees on Wednesday, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The reward comes after a dominant 2022 season in which Judge led MLB with 62 home runs and 131 RBI on the way to his first MVP award.

The contract is a significant one as we head into the 2023 season. Here are three instant reactions after the latest deal.

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Betting On Yourself Can Pay

It's rare to hear the full details of contract offers that aren't signed, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revealed in April that Judge turned down an eight-year, $230.5 million deal before Opening Day.

Judge admitted in November that he initially thought this might have been a mistake.

"It was tough in the beginning, definitely in April when I think it took me two weeks to get my first home run," Judge said on MLB Network (h/t Dan Martin of the New York Post). "There's a little doubt that creeps into your mind about it and you’re sitting in the outfield kicking yourself, like, 'Man, maybe I should have taken that deal.'"

It turns out Judge was right to trust his first instincts.

The 30-year-old came through with one of the best hitter seasons in a decade. Beyond his American League record for home runs, he also set career highs with a .311 batting average, .425 on-base percentage and 211 OPS+.

As a result, he now has the third-largest contract in MLB history. At $40 million per year, his annual contract ranks third in baseball behind New York Mets pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

Counting his $19 million earned in 2022, Judge added $148.5 million in contract value by not taking the offer last year and betting on himself.

Other players may replicate the move in the future, waiting until free agency to maximize their value rather than taking team-friendly contracts earlier in the process.

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Pressure Off Brian Cashman...for Now

The Yankees re-signed Cashman to a four-year deal earlier this week, but fans certainly wouldn't have been happy if that preceded Judge leaving in free agency.

New York was unable to lock up Judge before his monster 2022 season, and there were rumors about the San Francisco Giants becoming the leader to sign the outfielder. The Yankees would have lost not only a major piece of their lineup for next season but also a massively popular player in the biggest market in the country.

Any struggles in 2023 would have put Cashman squarely on the hot seat.

Re-signing Judge gives the fans what they want and keeps the Yankees as a top contender after they went 99-63 last season. With other big hitters like Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo still in the lineup, New York should still have one of the top offenses in baseball and be the team to beat in the AL East.

The Yankees still have work to do, however, especially considering they have failed to get past the Houston Astros in the AL. They have reached the playoffs in each of the last eight years but have yet to reach the World Series in this span.

Cashman must continue to add depth to the lineup and rotation to help put New York over the top.

If the team falls short in the playoffs again next year, the GM will hear more calls for his job.

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Steep Drop-Off in Impact Free Agents

The Giants were among the top teams in the Judge sweepstakes, while the Boston Red Sox were also in touch with the player, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. And other big-market teams like the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers are always seemingly involved in the potential signings of top free agents.

But there are few options for teams seeking an impact player in free agency, especially in the outfield.

Judge has had a 16.9 fWAR over the last two seasons combined, but only one other free-agent outfielder—Brandon Nimmo—has had more than 5.0 fWAR in this span, per MLB.com.

Nimmo is a solid all-around player who could help a contender, but he had just 16 home runs last season after tallying eight in each of the previous three years. The 29-year-old is nowhere near the middle-of-the-order difference-maker Judge has been.

Those in need of offensive help could target one of the shortstops among Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts or Dansby Swanson, but arguably the top option at the position is already off the board after Trea Turner agreed to an 11-year, $300 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. The remaining players could get pricey with limited alternatives on the open market.

Any team seeking a big-name addition this offseason better move quickly because the well will dry up in a hurry.

It appears that the Pittsburgh Pirates may move outfielder Bryan Reynolds this offseason. The 28-year-old has requested a trade, though Pittsburgh has publicly pushed back against the idea of trading him.

"While it is disappointing, this will have zero impact on our decision-making this offseason or in the future," the Pirates said in a statement, per Jay Cohen of the Associated Press.

Pittsburgh's stance could quickly change, however. Reynolds doesn't have a long-term deal in place, and he is drawing interest in the trade market.

The New York Yankees were interested, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

First tidbit from the lobby, per an industry source, is that the Yankees are “very much” in on Bryan Reynolds. “They’re on it.” … Not exactly breaking news that there’s significant interest in the Pirates outfielder.

— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) December 5, 2022

Absolutely no one should be surprised by New York's reported interest. However, it has probably gone out the window over the last 24 hours.

New York likely viewed Reynolds as a Plan B in the outfield in case it couldn't re-sign reigning home-run king Aaron Judge. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the San Francisco Giants had a huge offer, "believed to be [in the] $360M neighborhood," on the table for Judge.

San Francisco's offer was likely reason enough for New York to consider alternatives.

However, on Wednesday morning, news broke that Judge had agreed to a new deal with the Yankees. The news was first reported by MLB Network's Jon Morosi and confirmed by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Source confirms: Aaron Judge in agreement with Yankees, nine years, $360M. First: @JonMorosi.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2022

With New York almost certainly out of the mix, the Toronto Blue Jays become the most logical landing spot for Reynolds in a trade. Toronto is looking to build off of last year's 92-win campaign, and Reynolds is exactly the sort of up-and-coming star it could build around long-term.

According to Morosi, the Blue Jays are interested in making a deal:

The #BlueJays are a team to watch in the Bryan Reynolds market. They have interest in him and want to add an athletic switch hitter to their outfield. Based on strong industry interest, Jays would likely need to include Tiedemann or Martínez to have high offer. @MLBNetwork @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 5, 2022

As Morosi noted, a strong offer from Toronto may have to include the likes of pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann and infielder Orelvis Martinez. Parting with two young prospects would be difficult, but neither Tiedemann nor Martínez is well-positioned to make an impact this season.

Reynolds could make an immediate impact. He's a strong outfielder and solid at the plate. An All-Star in 2021, he finished this past season with a .262 batting average, 27 home runs and 62 RBI.

According to Morosi, the Blue Jays are looking for a hitter who can switch at the plate. Reynolds can do exactly that.

The other factor to consider is Reynolds' contract. He's due to earn just $6.75 million this season on an arbitration extension, according to Spotrac. That's low enough that Toronto could hypothetically add Reynolds and still chase one of the big-name free agents remaining on the market—perhaps a pitcher.

Noted sports agent Scott Boras recently spoke with Hazel Mae and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet to discuss Toronto's offseason priorities.

"I think their priority right now is to try to facilitate an advance on the offence,” Boras said. “As to what they"re going to do on pitching, I think they want to achieve (offensive upgrades) first."

Adding Reynolds could help upgrade the offense while leaving enough financial flexibility to approach the pitching market—a free-agent pool that still includes Carlos Rodón, Zack Greinke and Corey Kluber.

The big unknown is whether Pittsburgh is willing to accept a fair offer for Reynolds. It might hold out for an unreasonable trade package, or it could yet smooth things over and lock him up long-term. If the Pirates are willing to make a fair trade, though, adding Reynolds absolutely makes sense for the Blue Jays.

The New York Yankees saw their 2023 payroll balloon to over $200 million on Wednesday with the reported re-signing of superstar outfielder Aaron Judge.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Judge and the Yankees came to terms on a nine-year, $360 million contract, meaning Judge will make an average of $40 million per season over the life of the deal.

Prior to the reported Judge signing, Spotrac listed the Yankees' 2023 payroll at $162,085,714. The Judge signing will bring it up to $202,085,714.

News of Judge returning to the Bronx Bombers came one day after Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Judge had signed with the San Francisco Giants, only to retract it.

The 30-year-old Judge is coming off one of the most prolific seasons in MLB history, as he set a new American League single-season record with 62 home runs, surpassing the previous record of 61 set by Roger Maris in 1961.

In addition to leading MLB in home runs, he led the AL in RBI (131) and runs scored (133). He also stole a career-high 16 bases and hit a career-best .311, which was second in the AL, leaving him just short of the Triple Crown.

Judge's new contract is tied for the second-biggest in MLB history in terms of total dollars with Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, behind only the 12-year, $365 million deal Mookie Betts signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His $40 million average annual salary is also the highest in MLB history among position players.

While it is a hefty price to pay and a long commitment to make to a player already in his 30s, there is no denying that Judge was the centerpiece of the Yankees offense last season and the primary reason why they went 99-63, won the AL East and reached the American League Championship Series.

Judge shoots to the top of the list in terms of the Yankees' highest-paid players annually, ahead of pitcher Gerrit Cole ($36 million) and slugger Giancarlo Stanton ($32 million).

New York also re-signed first baseman Anthony Rizzo to a two-year, $40 million contract this offseason.

To this point, the Yanks are largely set to return the same roster they had last season, with the exception of some potential call-ups from their talented prospect pool.

There are still plenty of quality players available in free agency, however, meaning the Judge signing may just be the start of what they plan to do on the open market.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is staying with the only Major League Baseball team he has ever known for the foreseeable future.

Judge and the Yankees agreed to a new nine-year, $360 million contract Wednesday, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that Judge flew into San Diego late Tuesday night to make his decision between the Yankees, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.

The slugger's previous contract ran through the 2022 season, but he said he "wants to be a Yankee for life" in March, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

While a deal didn't happen prior to or during the 2022 campaign, Judge didn't change his tune at the All-Star break when he told reporters: "I want to play for the Yankees. I want to be here for a long time. If it works out, it works out. But if it doesn't, it doesn't. It's out of my hands."

The lack of a long-term deal put pressure on the four-time All-Star during the season, and all he did was turn in one of the best individual campaigns in MLB history.

He finished with a .311/.425/.686 slash line, an American League-record 62 home runs and 131 RBI while capturing the attention of the baseball world. While the Yankees lost to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series, Judge's record-setting efforts drove up his price heading into the offseason.

"The [Los Angeles] Dodgers and other clubs could become serious pursuers of Judge, as well, turning this into a bidding war that figures to surpass $300 million," Randy Miller of NJ.com reported in October.

New York won that bidding war, and he will remain one of the faces of the franchise—as he has been since his terrific rookie season in 2017.

Judge won AL Rookie of the Year and a Silver Slugger while finishing second in AL MVP voting behind a slash line of .284/.422/.627, a league-best 52 home runs and 114 RBI.

Injuries then became an issue, as he played 112 games in 2018, 102 games in 2019 and 28 games in the shortened 2020 campaign. Still, he was an All-Star in 2018 and launched 27 long balls in 2018 and 2019.

Judge also bounced back in impressive fashion in 2021 by slashing .287/.373/.544 with 39 home runs and 98 RBI in 148 games. The performance underscored his long-term importance to the Yankees and surely gave them additional confidence when it came to signing him to a new deal.

Then came his MVP performance in 2022, which did nothing to quell that confidence.

Now Judge will focus on attempting to win his first career World Series title after helping lead New York to the playoffs in each of his first six full seasons.

Major League Baseball teams looking for outfield help this offseason reportedly have another option to choose from in free agency.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Japanese star Masataka Yoshida will be posted Wednesday by the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, meaning he can sign with an MLB team through Jan. 20. "Teams see Yoshida as a plug-and-play left-field option with elite bat-to-ball skills," Passan wrote.

MLB Network's Jon Morosi previously reported the New York Yankees were interested.

MLB's posting system means the Buffaloes, for whom Yoshida played last year, would receive compensation based on his contract.

Per Passan, the Buffaloes would get $5 million for the first $25 million of his contract, $4.375 million of the next $25 million and 15 percent of anything after $50 million. Teams interested in signing him will need to consider that cost, especially since it will come on top of the contract it pays to add him to the lineup.

Still, Yoshida figures to be an impact player from the moment he arrives stateside.

He is in his prime at 29 years old and slashed .335/.447/.551 with 21 home runs, 88 RBI and 80 walks for Orix last season. He topped NPB in OPS in each of the last two campaigns and helped lead the Buffaloes to a Japan Series championship last season.

Yoshida has slashed .327/.421/.539 over his seven-year tenure with the team.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter ranked him as the 22nd-best available player going into winter meetings.

He should command a notable contract given the combination of his talent and the lack of outfield depth in this year's free-agency class. While Aaron Judge is the headliner, Brandon Nimmo is the only other top-10 free agent who plays the outfield on Reuter's list.

And he was No. 10.

Yoshida won't command the attention that players like Judge do this offseason, but he can impact the game in a number of ways and could hit better than .300 at the major league level.

The San Francisco Giants mean business in their quest to sign Aaron Judge.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, the Giants' current offer to the reigning American League MVP is believed to be in the range of $360 million.

Heyman noted the belief among rival teams is the New York Yankees remain the favorite to re-sign Judge, but they are still unsure of where things stand with their franchise player.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported last week the Yankees have an offer on the table worth around $300 million over eight years, but they could increase it depending on how far the Giants are willing to push the market.

It's been expected the Giants would be New York's main competition to sign Judge. Randy Miller of NJ.com reported in October they have the 30-year-old at the top of their wish list and "won’t be underbid" by any other team.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, it's "increasingly likely" that Judge's eventual contract will be for nine guaranteed years.

Rosenthal did note the Los Angeles Dodgers are hovering around, but they would prefer to sign Judge to a short-term deal with a high average annual salary.

The Giants have been rolling out the red carpet to let Judge know how much they want him. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry met with the four-time All-Star during his visit with San Francisco last month, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Judge is from California and was drafted out of high school by the Oakland Athletics in the 31st round in 2010. He elected to go to college at Fresno State and developed into a first-round pick by the Yankees three years later.

Since making his big league debut in 2016, Judge ranks second in MLB in homers (220), second in weighted on-base average (.407), fourth in slugging percentage (.583) and seventh in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (36.1).

Judge set an AL record with 62 homers during the 2022 season. He also led MLB in on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686) and total bases (391).

After winning 107 games in 2021, the Giants came back to earth with an 81-81 record last season. They have missed the playoffs five times in the past six seasons.

Aaron Judge would've preferred to keep his contract negotiations with the New York Yankees behind closed doors ahead of the 2022 MLB season.

"We kind of said, 'Hey, let's keep this between us,'" he said to Time's Sean Gregory regarding his conversations with the team. "I was a little upset that the numbers came out. I understand it's a negotiation tactic. Put pressure on me. Turn the fans against me, turn the media on me. That part of it I didn't like."

In April, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed the team offered the star slugger a deal that would've paid him $213.5 million in new money over seven years.

Judge's comments now echo his reaction shortly after the negotiations became public. He told reporters the situation was "something I felt like was private between my team and the Yankees."

"I'm just disappointed because I think I’ve been vocal about wanting to be a Yankee for life," he said. "I want to bring a championship back to New York. I want to do it for the fans here. … Not getting that done right now, it stings. But I got a job to do on the field and I gotta shift my focus to that now and go play some ball."

Any frustration he felt toward the Yankees front office didn't bleed into his performance. The four-time All-Star had a contract year for the ages, hitting an American League-record 62 home runs and winning the AL's Most Valuable Player award.

Judge's feelings in the spring haven't precluded him from working with Cashman again toward a new contract that would bring him back to the Big Apple. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the Yankees "have an offer on the table in the neighborhood of eight years and $300 million and could increase it."

For now, the San Francisco Giants are the Bronx Bombers' only competition. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Monday that "no prominent mystery team has emerged."

The New York Yankees are reuniting with reliever Tommy Kahnle after agreeing to a two-year, $11.5 million contract, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Kahnle spent the 2022 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 14 batters and earning one save over 12.2 innings of work. Before that, he was a member of the Yankees for three and a half years.

The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2020, which was why his usage this past year was so limited. Before that, he had been an effective option out of New York's bullpen. Over 129 appearances, he had a 3.23 FIP and averaged 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Bronx Bombers obviously saw enough from Kahnle to believe he can continue to be a consistent contributor moving forward.

Aroldis Chapman left as a free agent this offseason, and while letting him walk was an understandable decision, he's one fewer reliever New York will have in 2023. Scott Effross is out of the picture, too, after getting Tommy John surgery, while Michael King is continuing to recover from his fractured elbow.

Even assuming Clay Holmes will remain the full-time closer, there was a clear need to fortify the bullpen. Given the post-Tommy John questions still surrounding Kahnle, you have to wonder whether further reinforcements will be coming to the Big Apple.

On the heels of his historic season, Time magazine named New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge its athlete of the year for 2022 on Tuesday.

Aaron Judge (@TheJudge44)—who set a new American League home-run record earlier this year—is TIME’s 2022 Athlete of the Year: https://t.co/4XNGWvH32x pic.twitter.com/z6APx89FGG

— TIME (@TIME) December 6, 2022

Judge smashed 62 home runs for the Bronx Bombers, breaking the single-season American League record of 61 set by Yankees outfielder Roger Maris in 1961.

By virtue of his 62 homers, 131 RBI, 133 runs scored and .311 batting average, Judge was named AL MVP for the first time, and he is now in line to land one of the biggest contracts in MLB history in free agency.

With Judge leading the way, the Yankees won their first AL East title since 2019 with a 99-63 record, and they defeated the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Division Series of the playoffs.

That marked the Yanks' deepest playoff run since 2019, although they were swept out of the American League Championship Series by the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros.

Judge turned down a contract offer from the Yankees prior to the start of the 2022 season, and that proved to be one of the best decisions of his career, as the 6'7" slugger had a year for the ages.

In an interview with Time, Judge divulged that he wasn't a fan of the fact that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told the media that he turned down a seven-year, $213 million offer.

"We kind of said, 'Hey, let's keep this between us,' Judge said. "I was a little upset that the numbers came out. I understand it's a negotiation tactic. Put pressure on me. Turn the fans against me, turn the media on me. That part of it I didn't like."

Per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Yankees and San Francisco Giants are believed to be the top two suitors for Judge. The Giants are reportedly being "ultra-aggressive" in their pursuit of Judge, but the Yankees remain in talks with him as well.

SNY's Andy Martino reported that the Yankees are aware it will likely take a nine-year offer to retain the 30-year-old Judge.

It was previously reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan that the Yankees made Judge an offer "in the neighborhood" of $300 million over eight years.

The Yankees have a lot of offensive talent coming up through their prospect pipeline in Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and Jasson Dominguez, but they can ill afford to lose Judge.

He is a four-time All-Star and arguably the most feared hitter in the game, which in turn makes the rest of the Yankee lineup that much more dangerous.

Judge is a franchise-altering player, and given what he accomplished in 2022, there is little doubt he deserves to be recognized as the athlete of the year.