Aaron Judge rejects SF Giants, re-signs with Yankees on a record-setting deal

The SF Giants were unable to pull the upset and sign Aaron Judge away from the New York Yankees. He re-signed for a nine-year, $360 million deal.

Marc Delucchi | Dec 7, 2022

Aaron Judge rejects SF Giants, re-signs with Yankees on a record-setting deal /

In this story:

After a rumor-filled offseason, star outfielder Aaron Judge has re-signed with the Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million contract, which has the highest average annual value ever given to a position player in MLB history. The star outfielder returns to the team that drafted him in 2013, committing to another nine years with the club. The SF Giants were heavily tied to Judge all offseason but were unable to bring him west.

Rumors reached their peak this offseason when Yankees writer Randy Miller dropped several reports claiming the Giants would not be outbid in their quest for the outfielder and would add several other players in free agency. Some close to the Giants’ organization, like announcer Dave Flemming, felt these reports didn’t pass the smell test - and their intuition proved correct.

Judge has been one of the best players in the league since 2017. Drafted by the Yankees in 2013, Judge made his debut for them in August of 2016 and was unanimously selected as the AL Rookie of the Year the following season. Over his tenure in New York, Judge also made four All-Star teams, won three Silver Sluggers, a Home Run Derby, and set several franchise records.

Of course, in 2022, Judge had a season for the history books. He led the league in almost every major offensive category and broke Roger Maris' single-season AL home run record by blasting 62 home runs. He finished the season with a .311/.425/.686 triple-slash.

Beyond his impact at the plate, Judge has been an elite defensive right fielder throughout his career and has even flashed the ability to play center field.

With the Giants out of contention for Judge, the team will need to look elsewhere to make a significant upgrade. The Giants are now expected to look into acquiring one of the big-name free-agent shortstops like Carlos Correa or Dansby Swanson.

Free agency has certainly gotten off to an exciting start, but the Giants have yet to make any of the big moves they need to return to the playoffs. There is plenty of time left in the offseason, but with several of the top free agents already signed, they are running out of options. For now, what fans do know is that Aaron Judge will not be joining the SF Giants.

Published Dec 7, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).