Tim Kurkjian: Aaron Judge is "exactly" what the SF Giants need
The SF Giants have fallen well short of their expectations in 2022. Coming off a 107-win season, the team has been in a free fall in the standings since June, falling well below .500 and all the way to fourth place in the National League West. ESPN MLB Analyst Tim Kurkjian joined Brian Murphy and Kerry Crowley on the Murph & Mac Show earlier this week to discuss San Francisco's struggles. Kurkjian had some advice for Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.
First, Kurkjian said that the Giants "have to re-sign Carlos Rodon and make sure that he doesn't leave." While an extension for the Giants ace is going to be costly, Kurkjian does not believe that San Francisco can afford to lose their best pitcher this offseason if they want to be competitive moving forward.
Then, Kurkjian said, "They're gonna have to go out and make a massive move in free agency." Kurkjian clarified that while he was not saying it's going to happen, he sees Yankees star Aaron Judge as the perfect fit.
"Aaron Judge is exactly what they need in free agency.," he said. "They're going to have to pay him over $300 million to get him, but he's having an MVP season with the Yankees"
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Judge was one of five players we discussed in our early look at stars the SF Giants should target this offseason. He has consistently been one of the best outfielders in MLB over the past six years and will be coming off one of the best seasons in recent league history.
Judge is hitting .304/.410/.682 this season with a league-leading 55 home runs and 87 walks. He has also improved his strikeout rate over the past couple of seasons and remains one of the better defensive corner outfielders in MLB.
While Judge will be 31 on Opening Day next season, he should be a productive enough offensive player to transition to designated hitter in his late thirties. Besides, as Kurkjian pointed out, "If the Giants are serious about trying to stay with the Dodgers and maybe even the Padres moving forward, they're going to have to do something major, and that's Aaron Judge."
