Yankees star Aaron Judge. Apr 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after scoring in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels opened up a three-game series in The Bronx on Tuesday, defeating the New York Yankees 5-2. It was a game pitting the last two American League MVPs against each other, Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.

Ohtani, the 2021 American League MVP, is in the final year of his contract with the Angels and will become a free agent at the end of the season. Judge, the 2022 American League MVP, just went through free agency, ultimately re-signing with the Yankees.

Judge was asked about Ohtani’s pending free agency. He had a cagey answer.

Ohtani is not scheduled to pitch against the Yankees in this series. But on Tuesday, he gave Judge, the Yankees and everyone at Yankee Stadium a show on Tuesday night. He went 1-for-3, scoring two runs and hitting a two-run home run in the first inning.

Now, will Ohtani be a Yankee in 2024? Baseball fans had mixed feelings on that when reacting to Judge’s comments.

Given his remarkable prowess as both a hitter and pitcher, Ohtani will fetch a pretty penny (or, a lot of pretty pennies) in free agency. The Yankees are one of the few teams with the bankroll to sign him. But they certainly won’t be alone in their quest.

[Bryan Hoch]

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