“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.” – Me and Bobby McGee (lyrics by Kris Kristofferson, song by Janis Joplin)
However in Major League Baseball, it’s quite the opposite. Free agents Aaron Judge and Jacob deGrom are expected to hit it big this winter on the open market.
Judge, the New York Yankees outfielder who was named American League MVP last week, rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million contract before Opening Day, then went out and had a walk season for the ages, hitting a league-record 62 home runs while contending for the Triple Crown.
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DeGrom, the New York Mets ace, opted out of his contract after the World Series, with the two-time Cy Young Award winner eyeing the record-setting three-year, $130 million contract signed last year by Mets teammate Max Scherzer.
ESPN assembled a panel of MLB experts – Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez, Joon Lee, Kiley McDaniel, Buster Olney, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield – to predict where the top free agents will sign … and for how much.
Aaron Judge
McDaniel: Yankees, 9 years, $325 million.
Doolittle: Yankees, 9 years, $340 million.
Schoenfield: Giants, 9 years, $332 million.
Rogers: Yankees, 10 years, $370 million.
Lee: Yankees, 10 years, $360 million.
Olney: Yankees, 9 years, $360 million.
González: Giants, 8 years, $352 million.
Earlier this month, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and The Athletic’s Jim Bowden speculated on likely contract terms for the top free agents.
Heyman: 9 years, $330 million.
Bowden: 8 years, $330 million.
NOTES: Judge is set to meet Tuesday with the San Francisco Giants. The Los Angeles Dodgers also are expected to be in the mix, as are the Yankees, with owner Hal Steinbrenner already saying he’s met face-to-face with Judge and general manager Brian Cashman saying he’s already made a new contract offer.
Jacob deGrom
McDaniel: Texas Rangers, 4 years, $155 million.
Doolittle: Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 years, $120 million (with a mutual opt-out for the last season).
Schoenfield: Rangers, 4 years, $160 million.
Rogers: Atlanta Braves, 3 years, $125 million.
Lee: Rangers, 4 years, $160 million.
Olney: Rangers, 4 years, $150 million.
González: St. Louis Cardinals, 4 years, $150 million.
As for Heyman and Bowden:
Heyman: 3 years, $125 million.
Bowden: 2 years, $90 million with an opt out after Year 1.
NOTES: SNY reported Monday “The Yankees recently requested medical information on deGrom, according to a league source. … The Yankees are just the fourth team, including the Mets, known to express interest.” The others are the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers, according to SNY. “A league source said that a fifth team also recently requested deGrom’s medicals, but that club is unlikely to pursue him.”
On Saturday, the New York Post’s Mike Puma reported “the Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs and Yankees are among the other teams that could be in play for deGrom, whose previous deal called for him to receive $32.5 million next season.”
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The Mets also could lose outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who’s looking for a nine-figure contract on the open market.
McDaniel: Mets, 5 years, $125 million.
Doolittle: Mets, 5 years, $110 million.
Schoenfield: Toronto Blue Jays, 6 years, $135 million.
Rogers: Blue Jays, 5 years, $120 million.
Lee: Mets, 5 years, $140 million.
Olney: Blue Jays, 6 years, $142 million.
González: Miami Marlins, 5 years, $120 million.
As for Heyman and Bowden:
Heyman: 7 years, $145 million.
Bowden: 5 years, $80 million.
NOTES: Last week, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that Nimmo is meeting personally with teams and that several teams have expressed that they would move their centerfielder to a corner for Nimmo. Martino reports that the list of interested clubs includes the Mets, New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays “and that is far from a complete accounting.”
The Blue Jays have emerged as a top threat to grab Nimmo following last Wednesday’s trade of All-Star outfielder Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners.
Last Tuesday, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported the Yankees made “several surprising free-agent connections, including with marquee shortstops Trea Turner, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts and also crosstown center-field star Brandon Nimmo.”
Aside from deGrom and Judge, ESPN’s panel predicted AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander won’t go to the Yankees or the Mets, instead projecting he will sign with the Houston Astros, Dodgers or Rangers.
MORE MLB:
– Yankees’ Aaron Judge not the only Big Apple free agent on Giants’ radar
– Pirates re-sign ex-Yankees slugger but dump former New York pitching prospect
– Pitcher from Mets’ debut season dead at 95
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected].