The San Francisco Giants Will Reportedly 'Not Be Outbid' In Their Pursuit Of Aaron Judge

It's been a few days since the Yankees season came to an embarrassing halt. A once viewed upon dream season that had them once thinking about the all-time single season wins record, died via the brooms of their rival. They're now left wondering how much they need to improve upon to even get close to the level the Astros have maintained over the years. 

The number one question now becomes what happens to Aaron Judge? The start outfielder and face of the team rejected a 7 year $213.5 million extension before the 2022 season got going. At the time that offer wasn't viewed as an insult, although Judge may have viewed it that way. The then-29 year old chose to bet on himself and we obviously know how that turned out. 62 homers later, Judge has commanded a brinks truck from any team wanting his services for the next decade. 

While Brian Cashman has said their new offer will blow away their last one, I'm not sure if it will matter. An article today on NJ.com detailed how badly the Giants want Judge and how they won't be denied. 

“Judge is at the top of the Giants list and they won’t be underbid,” the person said. “If they miss out, it won’t be because of money.”

The person added that the Giants planned to entice Judge further by signing at least two-high priced free agents. "The Giants are not going to stop with Judge,” the person said. “They have so much money freed up.”

“They need a draw with the Dodgers and Padres in their division spending big money on big names,” the person said. “I know the Giants also are feeling pressure with the Warriors’ basketball team doing so well and spending big in the same market.”

I want to start by saying this article was written by Randy Miller who is not exactly a favorite in that clubhouse. For example, in the article he describes how Judge didn't appear upset when the Yankees lost Game 4, and how that is a sign he's moving on. That's just total bullshit that I don't buy for a second. You're going to get these kinds of articles written over the next few weeks to stir up clicks and drive something potentially out of nothing. That being said, the possibility of Judge bolting to San Francisco is very real so let's talk about it. 

Make no mistakes about it, Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman and the Yankees organization royally fucked this up. They chose to not enter these extension talks in the recent years, or even in the time between the 2021 season ending in Boston and before the lockout began. They waited and waited and waited. They decided to hold off on the Judge negotiations until the only other order of business for the offseason remaining was the possibility of bringing back Brett Gardner. I strongly believe delaying those conversations irked Judge a lot and cost them at the table. 

Another reason Judge has to be angry with the Yankees was the act of Cashman announcing to the world the exact details of their extension offer that was turned down. They basically attempted to paint a picture to everyone that it was his "greed" to reject the deal, and not their low balling. Not exactly a friendly gesture by any means when the guy is still on the team for another year and you know you're going to try to do what it takes to bring him back at the end of the day. 

So now enter the San Francisco Giants, a team starving to spend money and get back to contention. They're projected to have about $140 million in payroll in 2023, which will go down even more if Carlos Rodon opts out of his one year player option for $22 million. With Buster Posey retired, the Giants are in desperate need of a face of the franchise type player. The Dodgers pump out super team after super team each year while the Padres have put themselves in position to contend for years to come now with the arrival of Juan Soto. The Giants need an answer and Aaron Judge certainly fits the bill. 

With the DH now in the National League the Giants won't have to worry about Judge needing to preserve his health when his body begins to break down with age. It wouldn't shock me if they offer him something like $400 million over 10 years just to make sure they're the top bid. I can promise you the Yankees aren't going anywhere near that number. They'll probably go to like 8 years $300 million, maybe $330 mill. Hal and Cashman will use Judge's abysmal 2022 postseason performance against him and point to the gap in their previous offer as a showing of their "generosity." You have to imagine they're also going to throw an official captaincy at him, something that hasn't been given out since Derek Jeter. Will that be enough though?

I'm torn. Part of me thinks Judge might want a fresh start somewhere else, which just so happens to be right where we grew up. He can contend there without the pressures of failing in New York. He'll never admit it, but that shit is a motherfucker to deal with. Typically in these situations the most money wins so if the Giants truly refuse to get outbid we know how that ends. The other part of me, the optimistic side, thinks it's possible he wants to finish the challenge of winning a title in this city. You do that and you're immortal, but it's a tall task, especially with how poorly Cashman has assembled the roster. 

When you list it out like that I feel the Giants are the easy move, and that's coming from an extremely biased Yankees fan. If they're willing to pay the most and surround him with other big free agent names then why would he come back here? I don't see him giving a discount to a team that pushed aside his priority and then made all the details of the original offer public. What does Aaron Judge owe to the Yankees organization? Not a single thing. 

I want him back more than anything, but I'm terrified of what's to come. He's the entire team, and that's not just being the guy who hit 62 home runs. They all follow his lead. He's been their unofficial captain for years now and if you take him away you're almost forced to undergo a full-blown rebuild. Hal and Cashman have allowed this scenario to happen and we're dangerously close to the nightmare conclusion. 

Oh and who do you think the Yankees open up the season against next year? The San Francisco Giants…at home. Manfred is evil.