Report: Giants Offer Aaron Judge Contract Around $360 Million in Free Agency
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SAN DIEGO — There's no other way to put it.
This offer from the Giants to free agent superstar Aaron Judge is giant.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, San Francisco is offering Judge a contract in the neighborhood of $360 million.
Heyman didn't specify how many years that contract would include, but judging by a recent report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, we can assume it's at least nine years.
If it's a nine-year offer, Judge would be making $40 million per year. Even if it was a 10-year contract, meaning he would reel in $36 million a year, Judge would set a new record in average annual value for a position player.
Even with this massive, record-setting contract emerging during the Winter Meetings—and Judge's ties to San Francisco as a native of Linden, California—the Yankees are still considered the favorite in the Judge sweepstakes, per Heyman.
"The assumption/belief among rivals is that the Yankees remain favorites. Yankees are hopeful but say they still don’t know," Heyman wrote.
New York reportedly offered Judge eight years and $300 million recently, although general manager Brian Cashman made it clear on Monday the Yankees have sent a "number" of offers to Judge's camp this offseason. Cashman added that owner Hal Steinbrenner is "putting his money where his mouth is" as they look to retain Judge, a sign that New York is willing to match or exceed any other offer to get their guy.
"He's a free agent and has a chance to make decisions for him and his family. I can tell you that we are negotiating hard," Cashman said in San Diego. "we would love to continue to call him our player every step of the way as he follows what looks like, as long as nothing happens, a career path right to Cooperstown. We would love it to be pinstripes every step of the way. At the same time, there's competition."
Cashman wasn't sure what the timeline would be with this process, explaining that he wants to respect Judge's rights in free agency.
"We would certainly love to land the plane favorably here in New York and in the Bronx, but we're not flying the plane. We'll wait for this process to play out and that means staying active in the conversations and negotiations."
It's worth noting that San Francisco seems to think they've been gaining some momentum after their in-person meeting with Judge last month. President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters at the Winter Meetings that conversations with Judge and his representation are ongoing, flashing some confidence.
"We’re just trying to put our best foot forward," Zaidi said, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com. "The process continues. But obviously, we have really, really strong interest. We thought it was a really productive visit a couple of weeks ago."
MORE:
- Yankees Bolster Bullpen With a Familiar Face, Signing Tommy Kahnle
- With Aaron Judge Negotiations Ongoing, Yankees' Offseason Spending 'On Hold'
- Jameson Taillon Could Return to AL East in Free Agency, Market Is 'Deep' For Starter
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