Around the Empire: Yankees news - 11/11/22

MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: Free agent qualifying offers have officially been issued across Major League Baseball, and 14 players were thus given the option of signing a one-year, $19.65 million contract for 2023. Two of them were Yankees: Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo. Judge will obviously not be signing this, as the American League home run king has a huge payday in his future. There’s at least a chance that Rizzo will go for it, but he might be able to get a multi-year contract even with the draft pick compensation that accompanies signing someone who rejects a qualifying offer.

There was some question about whether or not starter Jameson Taillon might get a qualifying offer as well since one year at $19.65 million wouldn’t be terrible for a steady starter like him. Nonetheless, the Yankees elected to let him test free agency without one.

MLB.com | Paul Kasella: Judge has been raking in the postseason honors, adding the AL Hank Aaron Award and a Silver Slugger in recent days (he was the only Yankee to win a Silver Slugger). Now, he’s among a group of six Yankees listed among finalists for the All-MLB Team. Joining Judge are catcher Jose Trevino, second baseman Gleyber Torres, reliever Clay Holmes, and starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes.

Nine position players, five starting pitchers, and two relievers from all of of Major League Baseball will be selected to the All-MLB First Team, and another group of 16 will be named to the All-MLB Second Team. Judge is a slam dunk for the First Team, but the other five Yankees are probably Second Team at best (and more likely left off).

NY Post | Jon Heyman: The Yankees have been in contact with Page Odle, Aaron Judge’s agent. However, there will be obvious competition from the Bay Area. “From a financial standpoint, there’s nobody that would be out of our capability,” San Francisco Giants baseball president Farhan Zaidi said.

MLB.com: The Yankees made a few roster moves on Thursday. They added right-handed pitcher Jhony Brito and lefty Matt Krook to the Major League roster, and later brought former MLB reliever Jimmy Cordero aboard as well (he spent 2022 alongside Brito and Krook in Triple-A Scranton after 2021 Tommy John surgery). On the other side of things, outfielder and noted speedster Tim Locastro elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment.