Yankees' Aaron Judge on Shohei Ohtani's Free Agency: 'Excited to See Where He Goes'

Like the rest of the baseball world, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is keeping an eye on where Shohei Ohtani might end up playing next season.

Speaking to reporters before Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels, Judge was asked about Ohtani's impending free agency.

"He's a great all around athlete," the reigning AL MVP said. "It's going to be exciting to watch. I'm excited to see where he goes."

All eyes are going to be on the Angels this season to see what the front office might do with Ohtani if they aren't in contention around the trade deadline.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network noted in February that Angels owner Arte Moreno has "sounded very anti-trade" when it comes to Ohtani, and another person close to the situation said they would have moved him last year if they were going to trade him.

While it's still early in the season, the Angels' 9-8 record is good enough for second place in the AL West. They are only two games behind the Texas Rangers for the top spot.

Regardless of where Ohtani ends up playing in 2024 and beyond, his free agency will likely be the biggest event outside of the World Series in Major League Baseball.

The 28-year-old has already broken the record for largest one-year deal given to an arbitration-eligible player when he signed a $30 million contract with the Angels in October.

In January, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez noted some people within MLB believe Ohtani could ultimately sign a contract worth at least $500 million.

If Judge is hoping to play with Ohtani, the Yankees only have $189.4 million in payroll commitments next season. The 2024 competitive balance tax threshold is $237 million.

Even if the Yankees signed Ohtani to a deal that averaged $45 million per season, they would still be under the tax line.

Ohtani could be on his way to winning a second AL MVP award. He is hitting .300/.382/.533 with four homers and has a 0.86 ERA, 0.91 WHIP with 27 strikeouts in 21 innings on the mound this season.