Was Aaron Judge talking about the SF Giants when he made these comments?

Aaron Judge spoke last night, and we all listened. Very carefully. Judge won the AL MVP Award last night, and his free agency is the top story in baseball. The San Francisco Giants are believed to be in serious pursuit. Judge had some interesting comments about his free agency, noting that, “For me, if we’re going to build a winning team, if I can get myself out of the way so they can move on or add some more pieces, I think that’s an advantage.” The SF Giants sound like exactly the kind of team he could be talking about, but there’s no way of knowing. In a perfect world, Judge would sign with the Giants early and give them a chance to add around him. Or if he’s going to sign elsewhere or return to the Yankees, his signing early would allow the Giants to pivot to other options. Judge’s comments were interesting to say the least.

Switching gears, today is the MLB tender (or non-tender) deadline. Teams must decide whether to tender contracts to their arbitration- and pre-arbitration-eligible players. That list includes six players for the SF Giants, including Logan Webb, Mike Yastrzemski, and Thairo Estrada. Pretty much all nine are locks to be tendered contracts, but their salaries for 2023 won’t necessarily be determined for a few months. However, it’s probable that the Giants will reach agreements to avoid arbitration with several arb-eligible players today. Scott Alexander was already inked to a deal yesterday. Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the Giants are trying to extend Logan Webb, which would be a huge deal if they can cross the finish line, although today is not some kind of deadline to do so.

Last but not least, should the Giants be interested in trading for Cody Bellinger, or signing him if he’s non-tendered? Bellinger’s case is one of the most fascinating in the sport, and it’s possible he’s dealt or non-tendered by 5 PM this evening. Or the Dodgers could elect to hold onto him, but they’d end up owing him close to $18 million potentially. Bellinger was so good early in his career, but has been awful after a shoulder injury he sustained while celebrating a home run in the 2020 postseason.

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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that’s data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.

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