Aaron Judge’s Homer No. 49 Ignites MVP Chase, But Dodger Whispers and Boone Rift Stoke Bronx Betrayal Fears
By Elena Vasquez, Special to The Athletic
BALTIMORE — The crack of Aaron Judge’s bat against Tomoyuki Sugano’s offering still reverberates through Camden Yards, a thunderous solo shot in the third inning that cleared the left-field fence and etched homer No. 49 into the lore of a season already teeming with MVP-caliber thunder. For the New York Yankees captain, the September 20 blast — his 49th career dinger against the Orioles, most against any foe — wasn’t just another notch in a campaign slashing .333 with 91 RBIs and a league-leading 1.134 OPS. It was a defiant roar amid a storm of speculation, one that has the Bronx buzzing not about playoffs, but about potential exodus. As the Yankees claw for a wild-card spot, three games up with two weeks left, whispers of a clandestine summit with Los Angeles Dodgers brass over a record-shattering $500 million pact have fans fuming. Is this the breaking point for a franchise built on loyalty, or a Boone-blamed bluff masking deeper fractures?
Judge’s 2025 odyssey has been a saga of resilience and revelation. Signed through 2031 on a nine-year, $360 million extension that quelled 2022 free-agency drama, the 33-year-old has been the Yankees’ gravitational center, his 49 homers tying him two shy of his own AL record and positioning him for a third MVP nod after 2022 and 2024 triumphs. Yet, an elbow flexor strain in late July sidelined him for weeks, forcing a designated-hitter limbo upon return on August 5 that sapped his outfield swagger. His post-injury slash: .243/.422/.456, a shadow of the pre-IL terror, but enough to keep New York afloat amid a rotation ravaged by injuries and a lineup sputtering without Giancarlo Stanton’s complementary pop. That Baltimore bomb, a 420-foot laser off the Japanese import, silenced doubters temporarily, propelling the Yanks to a series win and reigniting October dreams. Teammates mobbed him at the plate, but off-field currents run colder.
The Dodger dalliance, per multiple industry sources, unfolded last weekend in a nondescript Manhattan hotel — a “courtesy call” that ballooned into three hours of contract hypotheticals. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, fresh off navigating Shohei Ohtani’s deferred megadeal, reportedly dangled a 12-year, $500 million vision: opt-outs after four, performance escalators tied to 50-homer plateaus, and a Dodger Stadium platoon with Mookie Betts that could eclipse Judge’s pinstriped peaks. Why now? Judge’s camp, led by agent Casey Close, views the extension as “fair but not forever,” with LA’s West Coast allure — milder weather for his creaky frame, Korean barbecue proximity for endorsement synergies — tempting amid Yankees frustrations. Sources say the meeting wasn’t a betrayal, but a benchmark: Hal Steinbrenner must counter with tweaks, perhaps vesting options or no-trade protections, or risk the unthinkable.
Fueling the fury? A festering rift with manager Aaron Boone, whose August 19 WFAN bombshell — “I don’t think we’re going to see him throwing like he normally does at any point this year” — drew Judge’s rare public rebuke: “I don’t know why he said that. He hasn’t seen me throw for the past two weeks.” The exchange, dissected on talk radio from the Bronx to Buffalo, exposed clubhouse schisms. Conservative vets back Boone’s caution, citing Judge’s July 22 grimace on a Toronto throw that sparked the IL stint. But younger players and alumni whisper of a skipper out of his depth, his tactical miscues — like pinch-hitting decisions in August’s seven-of-nine skid — eroding trust. A former Yankee insider texts: “Aaron’s the captain; Boone’s the fall guy. If Judge walks, it’s on the manager’s head.” Boone walked back the comments hours later, insisting, “Maybe that’s a little overstated,” but the damage lingers, with fans chanting “Fire Boone!” during the Baltimore opener.
For the Yankees, teetering on playoff purgatory, this feels like the ninth-inning squeeze. Steinbrenner, ever the heir to his father’s fire, has dispatched GM Brian Cashman to smooth egos, but a Dodger defection would torch the $300 million-plus sunk into Judge’s prime. Precedents sting: Robinson Canó’s Seattle flight, Gerrit Cole’s loyalty test. Yet Judge, the California kid who chose pinstripes over San Francisco kin in 2022, has texted confidants: “New York’s home, but home needs to feel like it.” As he eyes homer 50 against Tampa this week, the summit smoke signals a reckoning. Is it bluff, leveraging Boone’s scalp for security? Or the Bronx’s breaking point, a $500 million siren song luring their giant away? In a sport of what-ifs, Judge’s next swing — at the plate or the negotiating table — could redefine dynasties. For now, the thunder rolls on, but the echoes grow uneasy.
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