Los Angeles Dodgers ‘could make move for Aaron Judge’ after Cody Bellinger refuses

Former National League MVP Cody Bellinger will enter free agency after being rejected by the Los Angeles Dodgers, which could pave the way for Aaron Judge.

Bellinger, 27, was expected to earn $18 million in the final year of his contract.

Change could lead Dodgers to step up interest in star slugger Judge since they have now wiped approximately $100 million in salary from the books, according to The New York Post.

Move could pave way for Dodgers to step up pursuit of Aaron Judge

During his MVP season, Bellinger slashed .305/.406/.629 with 47 homers, 115 RBIs and 15 stolen bases while worth 7.7 FanGraphs wins over substitution.

Since then, his numbers have plummeted, as he slashed .203/.272/.376 over a 295-game regular-season streak.

His .648 OPS from 2020 to 2022 ranked 299th out of 338 qualified hitters during that streak.

At this point, it’s been well if not overly documented that Judge is set to land a contract worth over $300 million in free agency.

Judge, the star slugger, is widely expected to land a contract worth over $300 million in free agency.

The Yankees hierarchy, including owner Hal Steinbrenner, general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone, have all expressed interest in bringing Judge back to the Bronx.

Anthony Rizzo, who recently re-signed with the Yankees, also spoke to the media this week to express his wishes for Judge to return to the team.

Several other teams, including the Texas Rangers, rival New York Mets and Judge’s favorite San Francisco Giants, have all reportedly expressed interest in signing him.

Yankees management was in full media recruiting mode when talking about Judge