Yankees face “Giant” competition in re-signing Aaron Judge

aaron judge, yankees
Aug 29, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) watches the flight of the ball on his 50th home run of the season in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is having one of the greatest seasons in Yankee history. It’s not hyperbole, either. Judge is currently on pace to smash the American League home run record, which also happens to be the Yankee record.

He is currently sitting at 59 home runs. When you look at Judge’s 2022 stat line, it seriously looks like video game numbers. It’s truly remarkable how good he’s been. We haven’t seen a season like this since Barry Bonds was lighting up the baseball world in the early 2000s.

On the season, Aaron Judge is batting .316 while having 59 homers and 127 RBIs. While everyone has been focused on the home run record, Judge is closing in on a potential triple crown. Judge is now only a single point behind Luis Arraez for the AL batting title.

What makes the season even more incredible is the fact that Judge is doing this all in a season where he bet on himself. The Yankees attempted to sign Judge to an extension before the season started. It was a fair offer that would’ve made Judge one of the highest-paid Yankees in history.

However, Judge turned it down because he thought he was worth well more than the offer. Turns out he was right in a big way.

Yankees “Giant” Competition

Aaron Judge is the face of the New York Yankees. He’s the face of professional baseball and, there is going to be major competition for his services in the offseason. People have speculated that the Mets could be involved. Some have even said that the Red Sox would be involved.

However, there’s one team that seems to be emerging as the Yankees’ biggest threat. That would be Judge’s favorite team growing up, The San Francisco Giants. Buster Onley and Tim Kurkjian were hosting the Baseball Tonight Podcast this week, where they talked about Judge’s pursuit of the triple crown.

They also talked about where they think he will end up next season. Both writers believe that Judge will end up signing with his hometown team, The Giants. The thought is that the Giants will do whatever it takes to secure Judge because they need someone like him to compete with the Dodgers and Padres.

The Yankees can’t afford to lose Judge. However, they will have their limits in their negotiations. The early word is that the Giants will be much more desperate in their pursuit of Judge. I’ve been asking around writing circles to get others’ opinion on Judge’s destination.

Most seem to be split like me. I’ll say that there’s a 50/50 chance Judge ends up back in New York. The Yankees will make an incredible offer to Judge. Will it be enough? Time will tell.