Aaron Judge is the center of attention as the final week of the 2022 Major League Baseball season approaches. But the power hitter is going to be a free agent in the offseason. While the Yankees will do everything possible to sign the slugger, many MLB insiders expect him to join the San Francisco Giants once this season is over.
The superstar finally hit his HR no. 61 in Toronto on Wednesday, putting him in an elite group of players and tying Roger Maris for the single-season homer record in the American League. Every time Aaron Judge goes to bat, the phones of fans ring with alerts informing them of it. It doesn’t matter what sport is on the telecast. Live cut-ins showing the power hitter are normal on TVs and streaming videos. The airing of Judge’s at-bats keeps the viewers glued to their screens to witness history.
But for the Giants’ fans, the discussions mostly center around where the Yankees’ most-famous slugger will play the next season. At the end of this season, Aaron Judge will be able to sign with any team he wants. He is about to make a lot of money.
Could the Giants write a big check to bring home the California-born star? Multiple MLB insiders think it’s possible and Aaron Judge is heading to San Francisco in the offseason.
An ESPN insider post claims that Major League insiders foresee another team enticing away Aaron Judge from New York. It was based on what 14 MLB insiders talked about the size of the next contract for the slugger. Nine of them predicted which team Aaron Judge will be joining next season.
Three of those nine analysts believed that Judge would be signed by the Giants during this offseason, with one of those three predicting that it would be either the Giants or the rival Los Angeles Dodgers who would sign Aaron Judge.
The option that garnered the most support, Judge remaining in New York with the Yankees, received only four votes. Two additional people forecasted that Judge would ride the subway to the other side of town and sign a contract with the New York Mets.
In terms of the upcoming business transaction, what would it entail? The contract with the shortest length was for seven years and was worth $259 million. The contract with the lowest price was for ten years and was worth $265 million. The contract that was expected to last the longest and cost the most was a 10-year deal that was worth $375 million.
As a point of reference, the biggest deal in the history of Major League Baseball happened when the Angels signed Mike Trout for $426.5 million over 12 years in March of 2019.
During his time with the Giants, President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi has not been known to be generous in terms of doling out lengthy and pricey contracts. However, Judge, who was born and raised in Linden, California, and is on the cusp of making history, might be worth the price tag.
Who do you think will sign Aaron Judge if he leaves the Yankees in the offseason?
(The source article Multiple MLB insiders peg Giants as Judge landing spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea)
