Aaron Judge Yankees Mets Jul 26, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The pursuit of Aaron Judge is now under major scrutiny.

Controversy has stirred up around the superstar outfielder and it surrounded his potential former home. The New York Mets and New York Yankees could be in trouble.

A report from The Athletic has the Mets and Yankees under fire for possible improper communication. Ken Rosenthal reported first that the MLBPA could investigate the teams and whether they violated the MLB CBA.

Rosenthal wrote in a tweet, “MLB investigating whether Mets, Yankees communicated improperly on Aaron Judge.”

The story surrounded an article written on the SNY website. The article read, “Owners Steve Cohen and Hal Steinbrenner enjoy a mutually respectful relationship, and do not expect to upend that with a high-profile bidding war.”

That statement reportedly drew red flags from the MLBPA, according to Rosenthal. The union will investigate the situation and whether Cohen and Steinbrenner had communicated – or more harshly, colluded – with each other about offseason intentions well before free agency began.

Also implicated in the report is Houston Astros owner Jim Crane. Crane, in the news lately, was mentioned as a person of interest in the report. Rosenthal wrote, “As reported by MLB.com, ‘Crane said Verlander is seeking a deal similar to Max Scherzer, who signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Mets a year ago.’ The CBA states that neither players nor clubs, ‘can make comments to the media about the value of an unsigned free agent, regardless of whether discussions have occurred.'”

Judge and his upcoming contract have been a major storyline all year. The Yankees had every opportunity to sign him to an extension before the season. But they balked, so Judge proceeded to have an all-time great season.

The MLB world reacted to the report late Wednesday night into Thursday.

[Ken Rosenthal]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022