The New York Yankees will have plenty of competition for Aaron Judge's signature after the 6'7 slugger posted one of the best seasons at the plate in MLB history. Judge etched his name into the history books after he surpassed Roger Maris' AL-record 61 home runs, leading the Yankees to the AL East crown. Alas, Judge went cold during the postseason and the Yankees' World Series hopes were dashed shortly thereafter.
Nevertheless, the 30-year old outfielder remains one of the most coveted free agents of all time, and there are no guarantees that the Yankees will keep him, despite having increased confidence in their ability to retain Aaron Judge in recent days. Thus, it might not be the worst idea to plan for a scenario where Judge decides to spurn New York in free agency and line up a contingency plan as soon as possible.
According to Jon Morosi, the Yankees are interested in signing Japanese international Masataka Yoshida should he be made available by his home club in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league.
“The Yankees are one potential suitor for Masataka Yoshida if the Orix Buffaloes decide to post him this offseason, as I mentioned on [the MLB Network Hot Stove show] a moment ago,” Morosi wrote.
Over the years, the Yankees have had considerable success with their Japanese imports, from slugger Hideki Matsui to former ace Masahiro Tanaka. Matsui had a wildly successful stint in pinstripes, winning World Series MVP honors in 2009 and tallying 140 home runs and 597 RBIs with the club.
Alas, Yoshida profiles as an entirely different kind of hitter to both Matsui and Aaron Judge, as he doesn't seem to possess the considerable power the two sluggers do. Before making the trip overseas to New York, Hideki Matsui mashed 50 home runs in the NPB, while Masataka Yoshida's career high for dingers pales in comparison (29). What Yoshida could do at an elite level is get on base. For his NPB career, he's amassed 421 walks against 300 strikeouts, and his plate discipline and eye should translate if he makes the jump against tougher opposition.
Nonetheless, the Yankees will still prioritize Judge, but it remains to be seen just how far they're willing to break the bank just to keep him in town. Seeing how their offense outside of Aaron Judge performed last season, that might be a move they need to go all out on as they try to keep pace with the contenders in the AL East.
Follow Us
Subscribe