MLB insiders believe Aaron Judge will stay with Yankees past 2022?

New York Yankees All-Star slugger Aaron Judge once again failed to tie the American League single-season record of 61 home runs set by club legend Roger Maris in 1961 during Monday's 3-2 loss in extra innings at the Toronto Blue Jays, and the fact that Judge hasn't gone deep since last Tuesday has somewhat overshadowed the fact that he's in contention to win the Triple Crown ahead of hitting free agency after the campaign. 

Judge boldly rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension offer from the Yankees before Opening Day and is set to cash in via a larger deal given to him either by his current employer or a different club. The 30-year-old has recently been linked by some with the New York Mets, but ESPN's Kiley McDaniel noted for a piece published Tuesday that at least a handful of knowledgeable individuals believe Judge will be calling the Bronx his baseball home for the foreseeable future. 

ESPN asked "more than a dozen MLB executives, agents and insiders" about how much Judge has increased his market value via his historic batting season. Of those individuals, four said they believe Judge will ultimately re-sign with the Yankees. Two said he'll go to the Mets, two had him going to the San Francisco Giants, and one predicted the four-time All-Star selection will sign with either the Giants or Los Angeles Dodgers. 

As Brittany Hope explained for television station KCRA, Judge is originally from Linden, California. 

The 14 predictions for Judge's future contract ranged anywhere from seven years and $259 million to an astronomical 10 years and $375 million. Last week, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith said during an on-air segment he thinks big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen will offer Judge "a $350 million deal, minimum." 

Fox News' Scott Thompson and others suggested the fact that Judge rocked a hoodie that featured the phrase "New York or Nowhere" on its front ahead of Monday's game in Toronto means he's committed to the Yankees. Perhaps, though, Judge was silently declaring he's willing to stay in the Big Apple if either of the city's teams show him the money this fall or winter.