The Giants are reportedly willing to pay any price to being themselves back to the postseason and World Series contention.
San Francisco finished 81-81 in 2022, which was 26 wins short of its 2021 mark where it won the National League West and fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS in five games.
Gabe Kapler, who won NL Manager of the Year in 2021, will return in 2023, but the Giants will need more firepower if they hope to compete against the Dodgers and the Padres, especially after losing Juan Soto to San Diego.
It’s why San Francisco will reportedly be on the chase for not only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge but also Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Trea Turner, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
Judge’s future with the Bronx Bombers will be determined by how much they’re willing to break the bank on the four-time All-Star. Nightengale notes Judge wants $300 million from the Yankees, and if they aren’t willing to pay that price tag, the Giants will be there to swoop him and bring Judge closer to his hometown of Linden, Calif.
“We do have the flexibility to be involved in every possible option on the table,” Giants president Farhan Zaidi said, per Nightengale.
San Francisco won’t be the only club after Judge’s services if he does leave New York after seven years. Its “Subway Series” rival New York Mets could try to make a run at Judge, and there are other teams with high bankrolls that will try to sign Judge, perhaps even the Boston Red Sox.
As for Turner, Nightengale reports that while the second baseman is open to returning to Los Angeles, he prefers the East Coast, with the Philadelphia Phillies believed to be the No. 1 option for Turner.
It would be an interesting predicament if the Yankees win the World Series, Judge wins the American League and then leaves New York altogether. However, the free agency will have to wait until winter.
