Eliminated from postseason contention just one year after winning the National League West and setting a new franchise-record for wins, the San Francisco Giants are already looking ahead to next season. They’re also “well aware” of the lineup holes that need to be filled for 2023 and how Aaron Judge could potentially be an answer.
The San Francisco Giants are not mentioning his name, but everyone knows they are talking about Aaron Judge
Speaking to the media about the needs for his team for 2023, San Francisco Giants chairman Greg Johnson made no bones about some of the things his franchise could do to improve for next season.
Giants chairman Greg Johnson on the upcoming free-agent market: "We have a lot of flexibility coming into this offseason. We’re well aware of the shortstops and the person who can hit in the Bronx ... We're well aware that we’ve got some gaps that need to be addressed."
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) September 21, 2022
Yes, the “person who can hit in the Bronx” is a way to say the Giants know that Judge would solve a chunk of the current issues that have the Giants sitting in third place in the National League West.
Judge, in the midst of chasing Roger Maris to become the New York Yankees and American League all-time home run leader, is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. The Giants have already been linked to Judge as one of the potential teams that has the ability to sign the 30-year-old who is the leading contender for this year’s American League Most Valuable Player honor.
That “flexibility” mentioned by Johnson could be a big factor for the Giants as they chase not only Judge but other players who can help boost San Francisco back into contention in the division. As we discussed here, the Giants have said they likely plan to be “aggressive” and have less than $100 million committed to payroll next season.
Will that “person who can hit in the Bronx” be smashing home runs next season in the same park where Barry Bonds etched his name atop MLB’s all-time homer list? It will be one of the fascinating offseason storylines to follow.