SF Giants announcer has heard there's “tension” between Aaron Judge and Yankees
The SF Giants began their offseason by hiring Pete Putila as general manager. However, fans are probably more curious about what players the team will add this winter. Longtime Giants play-by-play announcer Dave Flemming stopped by The TK Show, a podcast hosted by The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, to share his expectations for the team's offseason and an interesting insight into the potential free agency of Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
SF Giants announcer Dave Flemming speaks at Oracle Park during a pregame ceremony. (2010)
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“I think if you look at the Dodgers as sort of a model, because that’s where Farhan came from,” Flemming said, “If you use that as… the frame of reference for how Farhan likes to think; they got criticized for a while for not making a big move, not making a big deal.”
Flemming went on to say that the Dodgers refused to make several big splashy trades until they got to a place where they were consistently winning 100+ games.
“My guess is… the easiest way to do it is with an impactful move or two, as opposed to… six or seven moves,” Flemming said. “Player development still is the avenue to getting this team to a different level consistently.”
Kawakami asked if Flemming felt the Giants owners were putting any pressure on president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi to sign a few big names just for the marketing and ticket sales values they could provide the team. Flemming was confident that is not the case. He said they are “fully entrusting [Zaidi] to build the best team he can build… he’s got pretty much free reign to make those decisions the way he sees fit.”
All that said, it’s clear that the Giants’ incredible success with aggressive platooning in 2021 was much less successful in 2022. Flemming was clear that inside the clubhouse, especially between Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler, there is a restlessness to come back swinging next year, and a big part of that will likely require signing one or two anchor players who are in the lineup every day.
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge watches a home run. (2022)
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
As for whether or not the Giants have a chance at Aaron Judge? Flemming said, “I’ve heard there’s some underlying tension between Judge and [the Yankees]... If Judge says, ‘I want to go somewhere else because I feel like they did me wrong,’ then I think the Giants are a very viable option." That's something fans surely like to hear.
According to a recent report, the Giants are expected to pursue Judge heavily this offseason. Many local and national pundits have speculated about Judge's potential fit in San Francisco, with ESPN's Tim Kurkjian calling him "exactly" what the Giants need.
Judge led the American League in almost every major offensive category this season 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. It's hard not to dream about the Linden, California native, who grew up a Giants fan, donning the Orange and Black.
If the SF Giants are going to sign Aaron Judge this offseason, the Yankees must fail to sign him to a contract extension first. If Dave Flemming is right, and tension between the Yankees and Judge make it more likely he hits the open market, then the Giants have an even better chance of adding the star to their outfield.
