MLB insider Ken Rosenthal expects Mets to make bid for Aaron Judge

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal said Thursday night during a broadcast that he has "a hard time imagining" Mets owner Steve Cohen "will not at all make a bid" for Yankees slugger Aaron Judge this winter. 

"With Judge, Steve Cohen is a classic Mets fan. I grew up here, and what Mets fans love most is to torture the Yankees," Rosenthal said, adding that the Mets will have every reason to be interested in Judge if their season doesn't end the way they want it to. 

As Judge's MVP campaign has picked up steam, so has free agency speculation. Judge's contract is set to expire after the World Series, and the Yankees had a line they wouldn't cross in negotiations with the outfielder before the season. 

The Mets, on the other hand, have made it clear they're willing to spend large amounts of money for talent under Cohen's ownership. Rosenthal notes that it makes sense for the Mets to make a bid for Judge even if only to drive up the price for the Yankees. 

Judge rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer before the season, an offer the Yankees made public after negotiations were cut off. Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay recently said he thinks the team will now need to offer "$100M more" if they want to keep their star in pinstripes.