Yankees predicted to sign $400M World Series champion, forcing Aaron Judge position change

Hunter Cookston

•
Yankees predicted to sign $400M World Series champion, forcing Aaron Judge position change image

Kyle Tucker is the biggest name of the offseason. Last offseason, he was traded by the Houston Astros to Chicago. This offseason, he gets to decide where he wants to go. The Chicago Cubs are expected to try and give him the contract he wants, but his recent comments about his future seem to put that plan in doubt.

“We'll see what happens. Don't know what the future is going to hold. If not, it's been an honor playing with all these guys and wish everyone best of luck whether it’s playing next year or not with them,” Tucker said.

With that, some teams can offer him the lucrative contract he desires. One of those teams is the New York Yankees, who are looking to make the right roster decisions after it became clear that construction was a problem this season.

“Tucker is this winter’s biggest fish, and he’ll command a massive payday in the $400 million range. He can hit. He plays stellar defense in the outfield. He can run the bases at a high level. Yes, while he struggled at times this season, most of those issues can be traced to a fractured finger that he attempted to play through. Still, he slashed .266/.377/.464 with 22 home runs and 72 RBI this season while posting a 143 OPS+. Best fit: New York Yankees,” FanSided’s Robert Murray wrote.

The only potential issue with this move is that Aaron Judge would have to move back to centerfield after getting reacclimated to right field.

“I’m excited,” Judge said. “I’ve been playing right the whole time, went over to center to help the team out any way I could to give us the best lineup. I’m excited to go back to right, it’s gonna be fun over there.”

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

If Tucker’s old comments still ring true, Judge won’t have any problem moving. Adding Tucker’s bat to the lineup would put the Yankees among the best teams in the league.

Tucker is expected to be heavily pursued all winter long, so it will be interesting to see who ultimately gets him to put pen to paper.

More MLB news:

Hunter Cookston

Hunter Cookston began his career as a sportswriter for the Marion Tribune, where he covered local high school football, basketball and baseball. His passion for sports started at the age of four when he played his first year of tee ball. Growing up in Tennessee, he developed a deep love for the Tennessee Volunteers and Atlanta Braves. Hunter is currently attending Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he is pursuing a BA in Sports Communications/Management.