Giants Hope Steph Curry Can Help Them Make Aaron Judge-Sized Splash
The Giants are dreaming of a world where Aaron Judge routinely launches baseballs into McCovey Cove for the foreseeable future. So why not ask a Splash Brother to pitch the free agent on playing in the Bay Area?
Judge met with the Giants in San Francisco on Monday night and most of the day Tuesday. The recruiting session included team president Larry Baer, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, and manager Gabe Kapler, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic. Even some Giants players, including Joc Pederson, put some effort into persuading the American League MVP on Instagram.
All of that is to be expected, as San Francisco is trying to lure Judge away from the New York Yankees – the only team he’s ever played for – and other interested suitors. The Giants did add some creativity to their pitch, however, as they put Judge in contact with Steph Curry's camp, according to Pavlovic. The hope was that Judge and the Golden State Warriors sharpshooter would connect as the former weighs his free agent options.
An assist from Curry can’t hurt, nor can Judge’s California roots. The 30-year-old is from Linden, a two-plus-hour drive from San Francisco. Naturally, Judge cheered on the Giants growing up.
However, Judge is not going to base his free agent decision solely on his childhood rooting interests, local ties, or even a strong recommendation from Curry. The four-time All-Star is looking for a contract that will exceed the seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer he rejected from the Yankees before Opening Day this year.
The Giants know this, and they’ve indicated a willingness to spend this offseason.
“From a financial standpoint, there’s nobody that would be out of our capability to kind of meet what we expect the contract demands will be,” Zaidi said in early November, per MLB.com’s Maria Guardado, though he wasn’t talking about a specific player. “It’ll just be a question of whether there’s mutual interest and how we put together the best possible team.”
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi said the Giants could make a formal offer to Judge this week.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have reiterated their desire to keep Judge in pinstripes long-term. Judge has expressed the same sentiments, but he’s also made it clear that he wants to see what the open market has to offer.
