Aaron Judge Lands in San Francisco For Free Agency Meeting With Giants
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Aaron Judge is heading home for more than just the holidays.
The free agent right fielder is back on a business trip.
Judge has arrived in San Francisco—less than 100 miles from where he grew up in Linden, California—and will meet with the Giants on Tuesday, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network shared a video on Monday night where Judge was stopped while he carried some luggage into the lobby of a hotel.
"Visiting some family and friends, that's about it," Judge said, explaining why he is in town.
Asked if he has any fun plans, the slugger smiled.
"We've got something."
The Giants are viewed by many as the biggest threat to the Yankees in the Judge sweepstakes this winter. Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reported back in October that San Francisco is "prepared to spend whatever it takes" to sign Judge.
Judge is coming off a record-setting campaign in pinstripes, a season in which the slugger mashed 62 home runs (the new single-season record in the American League), led baseball in plenty of offensive statistics and won his first Most Valuable Player Award. The right fielder also put the Yankees on his back throughout the highs and lows of a 99-win season, helping to take New York to the American League Championship Series where they fell to the Astros in four games.
Before Opening Day, Judge turned down a $213.5 million extension for seven years from New York. By betting on himself, he's poised to make much more, possibly setting a new record for the most average annual value for a position player in MLB history.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently revealed to reporters that the team has presented Judge with a new offer since the end of the season. Owner Hal Steinbrenner added that he has had multiple "positive" meetings with Judge to make it clear the Yankees want to keep their superstar slugger in pinstripes. Steinbrenner said he would even consider making Judge captain if No. 99 re-signed this winter, insisting that he's prepared to spend to make that happen.
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