Report: SF Giants have made Aaron Judge an offer worth around $360 million

The SF Giants have reportedly made free-agent outfielder Aaron Judge an offer worth around $360 million, but the Yankees are still heavily involved.

The SF Giants open pursuit of longtime New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge appears to have culminated in a record-setting offer, per a report by Jon Heyman of the NY Post. The Giants have reportedly made Judge an offer in the range of $360 million, beating the original offer his former team made by more than $50 million. Judge is the top-ranked player on Giants Baseball Insider's free-agent rankings.

Could Aaron Judge be blasting home runs for the SF Giants next season? / © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"Giants are in with a big offer to Judge — believed to be $360M neighborhood — but the assumption/belief among rivals is that the Yankees remain favorites," Heyman wrote. "Yankees are hopeful but say they still don’t know."

Giants are in with a big offer to Judge — believed to be $360M neighborhood — but the assumption/belief among rivals is that the Yankees remain favorites. Yankees are hopeful but say they still don’t know.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 6, 2022

It has previously been reported that the Yankees starting offer to Judge was an eight-year, $300 million deal. While it has been established that New York would be willing to increase the offer, it's unclear how high they have climbed. Will they be willing to make a 20% jump to match the Giants?

With that said, Heyman's report does not discuss the structure of San Francisco's offer, which could make it seem more enticing than it is. The Giants have never included significant payment deferrals in large contracts, but it would not be unprecedented for them to include that in an offer of this size. Since deferrals delay when a player receives money in their contract, they are often less appealing.

The league has always believed Judge will re-sign with the Yankees. New York has had more recent success, and there is an industry perception that they are better situated than the Giants to win moving forward, even if it's not true. Ultimately, until Judge decides to do something else, most expect him to remain a Yankee for life.

Judge is coming off a record-setting MVP season. Already considered one of the best power hitters in the game, Judge set the American League single-season home run record with 62 homers in 2022. He also led the American League in nearly every offensive category with a .311/.425/.686 triple-slash. He also stole 13 bases in 16 attempts.

As the Winter Meetings heat up, it seems like the Aaron Judge sweepstakes are approaching a conclusion. Per Heyman's reporting, the SF Giants have made a serious bid to entice Judge away from his former team. However, the New York Yankees are clearly still believed to be a favorite by folks within the industry.