AL MVP Aaron Judge is the marquee free agent in the 2022-23 MLB offseason. And as such, he is gaining a lot of attention around the league. He has already received an eight-year, $300 million contract from the New York Yankees. And then there are the San Francisco Giants building their case for the superstar outfielder.
The Giants had a meeting with Judge last week, and many Bay Area figures are joining to help recruit him to Oracle Park. MLB Network’s JP Morosi says that the Giants are still very much in the running.
Doors open mane @TheJudge44 come on in! @sfgiants pic.twitter.com/8G0J1EYowV
— E40 Mogul Entrepreneur (@E40) November 23, 2022
“The Giants are a very realistic possibility,” Morosi said on the Hot Stove Thursday morning. “This is not a Yankees at a 70% likelihood and the Giants are 30.”
Judge is a native of Linden, California, a Northern California town less than two hours away from San Francisco.
Morosi then adds to his theory about the Giants’ chances.
JP Morosi says he thinks Aaron Judge needs the Giants to put together a better team for him to sign there.
The Giants, who generally don’t spend, will have to spend more for Judge not to re-sign with the Yankees. https://t.co/IItI5aHgHw pic.twitter.com/HO06Zjpy7S
— Joe Randazzo (@Yankeelibrarian) December 1, 2022
“I really believe Aaron Judge won’t sign with the Giants unless there is a credible and actionable plan to put a winning team around him that can get to the postseason,” Morosi claimed. “I don’t think Aaron Judge will take on all that pressure and expectation of going across the country if he looks at the roster and says ‘We’re going to finish .500 and behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.'”
The Case of the San Francisco Giants
The Giants have a history of putting together championship-caliber rosters. After all, this franchise did win three World Series titles in the 2010s. However, in a crowded NL West division, the Giants have a tougher hurdle to jump through.
The Giants had one of the oldest rosters in baseball last season, with the average age being 29.31. Perhaps this is not a huge concern for Aaron Judge, as the Yankees (30.12) were the second oldest in baseball. However, while the Yankees made it to the American League Championship, the Giants only went 81-81 and missed the playoffs. The team won 107 games in 2021, but it is the only winning season that San Francisco has seen since 2017.
The Giants are remaining active in free agency regardless. In addition to Judge, the Giants are in the running for Japanese star pitcher Kodai Senga. They also brought back Joc Pederson on a one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer.
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