Dodgers Rumors: Giants GM Feels Team Can Afford to Pay Aaron Judge

Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi says nobody, including Aaron Judge, would be out of their budget this offseason.

Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit free agency this week, and he's likely to be the most coveted player on the market coming off an AL-record 62 home runs in 2022. The Dodgers are among the teams rumored to be interested in him, but their rivals up north might be even more interested. The Giants also have the geographical upper hand, as Judge grew up near San Francisco.

At the GM meetings in Las Vegas, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi talked with the media about Judge and implied that if they don't sign him, money won't be the reason.

Giants head of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi, prominently linked to Aaron Judge: "I think from a financial standpoint there’s nobody that would be out of our capability. And then it’ll just be a question of whether there’s mutual interest."

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) November 10, 2022

There was a report recently that an anonymous source within the Giants said they won't be outbid for Judge, and Zaidi's comments are in line with that approach.

The Giants come into the offseason with plenty of financial flexibility, with less than $83 million committed in salaries for 2023. They have plenty of holes to fill, of course, but they're looking to make a big splash in the free-agent market, and Judge would definitely qualify.

Judge has spent his first seven seasons in New York, hitting 220 homers and posting a .977 OPS for the Yankees. The only real blemish on his record has been health, as he's missed significant time in half of his seasons since his rookie year in 2017.

Judge will turn 31 early next season, so he's a little older than most players hitting free agency for the first time. It sounds like his age and injury history aren't scaring the Giants off, though.