The Giants find themselves in a position where they could go after a high-priced free agent in the offseason.
Many around the game thought that San Francisco -- with an abundance of salary cap space this past winter -- would spend big in the offseason. Instead, they really only splurged on starting pitcher Carlos Rodón while signing a handful of other players to short-term deals.
Looking ahead to the 2023 offseason, the Giants once again will have money to spend. Currently, San Francisco's payroll for next season is estimated to be $104 million according to Spotrac, with the league's Competitive Balance Tax estimated to be $233 million.
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MLB Network analyst and baseball columnist for the New York Post, Jon Heyman, mentions in his latest article that the Giants are seen as a possible landing spot for New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a free agent after the 2022 season.
"The Giants are seen as another potential landing spot for Aaron Judge, who grew up a Giants fan," Heyman writes. "Though they specialize in bargains, they did make a spirited attempt for Bryce Harper, finishing second to Philadelphia."
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Judge -- a Linden native and former Fresno State Bulldog -- returning home to play for the team he grew up rooting for, has always been a fun thought for Giants fans ever since he burst onto the scene with a 52-home run rookie season in 2017.
San Francisco Giants
The Yankees slugger has established himself as one of the game's best pure power hitters and currently leads all of baseball with 14 home runs.
New York will almost certainly make an effort to re-sign the 30-year-old, but if he does test the market, the Giants very likely could make a strong push for Judge in the offseason.