Tim Kurkjian: Aaron Judge is "exactly" what the SF Giants need

Plenty of SF Giants fans want the team to pursue Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, and ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian agrees.

Marc Delucchi | Sep 10, 2022

Tim Kurkjian: Aaron Judge is "exactly" what the SF Giants need /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants have fallen well short of their expectations in 2022. Coming off a 107-win season, the team has been in a free fall in the standings since June, falling well below .500 and all the way to fourth place in the National League West. ESPN MLB Analyst Tim Kurkjian joined Brian Murphy and Kerry Crowley on the Murph & Mac Show earlier this week to discuss San Francisco's struggles. Kurkjian had some advice for Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi.

First, Kurkjian said that the Giants "have to re-sign Carlos Rodon and make sure that he doesn't leave." While an extension for the Giants ace is going to be costly, Kurkjian does not believe that San Francisco can afford to lose their best pitcher this offseason if they want to be competitive moving forward.

Then, Kurkjian said, "They're gonna have to go out and make a massive move in free agency." Kurkjian clarified that while he was not saying it's going to happen, he sees Yankees star Aaron Judge as the perfect fit.

"Aaron Judge is exactly what they need in free agency.," he said. "They're going to have to pay him over $300 million to get him, but he's having an MVP season with the Yankees"

Judge was one of five players we discussed in our early look at stars the SF Giants should target this offseason. He has consistently been one of the best outfielders in MLB over the past six years and will be coming off one of the best seasons in recent league history.

Judge is hitting .304/.410/.682 this season with a league-leading 55 home runs and 87 walks. He has also improved his strikeout rate over the past couple of seasons and remains one of the better defensive corner outfielders in MLB.

While Judge will be 31 on Opening Day next season, he should be a productive enough offensive player to transition to designated hitter in his late thirties. Besides, as Kurkjian pointed out, "If the Giants are serious about trying to stay with the Dodgers and maybe even the Padres moving forward, they're going to have to do something major, and that's Aaron Judge."

Published Sep 10, 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).