The winter meetings have begun, and the big-name free agent dust is starting to settle.
Justin Verlander is heading to the New York Mets. Jacob deGrom, the ace he’s replacing, will pitch for Bruce Bochy down in Texas. Trea Turner is reuniting with Bryce Harper — his teammate in Washington — on the Phillies.
But the biggest free agent of all, both in production and stature, remains unsigned. Aaron Judge, the reigning American League MVP, appears to be deciding between two teams: the incumbent New York Yankees and his hometown San Francisco Giants.
At the winter meetings in San Diego, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters that talks with Judge are ongoing.
“Those conversations are continuing,” Zaidi told reporters, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “We’re just trying to put our best foot forward. The process continues, but obviously we have really, really strong interest and we thought it was a really productive visit.”
Judge visited with the Giants during the week of Thanksgiving. Zaidi declined to provide juicy details of those meetings, but said about 30 team employees were involved in the visit’s planning.
The Yankees have made multiple contract offers to Judge, including one on the table reportedly worth roughly eight years and $300 million. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported it will take nine years to land the outfielder. It’s unclear exactly what SF has offered Judge thus far, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters that he hasn’t been assured that Judge’s camp will give New York a chance to beat another team’s best offer.
Judge took in Monday Night Football in Tampa Bay, watching as Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to a stunning fourth-quarter comeback. Brady, a San Mateo native, jokingly asked him to play tight end.
Judge certainly has more compelling offers to consider.