Red Sox: Just how realistic are the Aaron Judge rumors?

How realistic are the rumors that the Boston Red Sox might be in the market to sign Aaron Judge away from the New York Yankees?

Is there anything more terrifying for a New York Yankees fan than the idea of Aaron Judge fleeing the Bronx to join the Boston Red Sox next season? According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, it’s one of several possible destinations for the face of the Yankees.

The inability by the Yankees to get an extension done with Judge has opened up Pandora’s Box. He is on his way to winning an MVP this year, which will only increase his asking price. He’s expected to be one of the highest-paid players this offseason because of the many things he does so well.

But the Red Sox? How realistic are those rumors?

Any Red Sox rumors about Aaron Judge are nothing but speculation to trigger Yankees fans

As Yanks Go Yard’s Adam Weinrib lays out in his coverage of this story, Olney and the graphic designers at ESPN are hoping to catch people’s attention with Judge in a Red Sox jersey headlining the tweet.

The Red Sox are a contender for Judge merely because of the market they play in, their consistent attempts at winning, and how epic it would be for them to steal away one of the most prized possessions in recent club history. It’s the same reason why the New York Mets would be a potential destination, except they have an owner who has proven he will pay whatever price he can to make the team better.

Boston could certainly use an upgrade in their outfield. However, they have shown a lack of interest in retaining many of their star players in recent years. They traded Mookie Betts away rather than pay him. When they do dip into free agency, they tend to go with the second-tier of the best players available. Signing Trevor Story, for example, may have been done simply to do something notable at all over the winter.

It’s not inconceivable for just about any team to make room for Judge. His ability to play right field and even tackle regular starts in center field make him a viable option just about anywhere. Add in the fact that the National League now has the DH role to move lesser defensive players — how many teams are really out of the realm of possibility? Only the clubs that regularly show they are unwilling to pay big free agents should be eliminated. Even some of them could always experience a change of financial heart or change ownership. If so, we’d have to consider them as well.

Signing Judge away from the Yankees would be an ultimate “game on” transaction from the Red Sox. The possibility, though, remains slight. They have Xander Bogaerts to worry about and Rafael Devers in the near future. J.D. Martinez is also a free agent after this season, as is Nathan Eovaldi.

The money they’d spend on Judge would be a power move that might prevent them from making other necessary transactions. The Chaim Bloom-ran Red Sox are too smart to put all of their eggs in one Judge basket.