San Francisco Giants Still In Race For Aaron Judge After Signing Mitch Haniger

Aaron Judge #99 of the New York — Aaron Judge remains a hot commodity with the AL MVP yet to decide on where he will play next MLB se Elsa/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

The Giants have signed Mitch Haniger, but they are still in play for Aaron Judge
Haniger and Judge could be power additions to the Giants for the coming MLB season
The Giants and Yankees await the free agency decision of Judge

The San Francisco Giants have reportedly signed one of two target outfielders, a move that could add more power to their next MLB campaign.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Giants have signed Mitch Haniger to a three-year deal worth $43.5 million.

Even though the 31-year-old All-Star has struggled with injuries (ankle and back) the past season, not to mention a bout with COVID-19, Haniger still managed to get 11 homers and 34 RBI with the Seattle Mariners.

Hence, it remains that should the All-Star outfielder find a way to remain healthy, he would be a godsend to the Giants.

Proof of this was his performance in 2021 where he hit .253 with 39 dingers, 100 RBI, 110 runs and a .804 OPS in 157 contests.

It should be noted that even with the Haniger signing, it does not mean that the Giants are pushing back their bid in the Aaron Judge sweepstakes.

San Francisco is still reportedly among the MLB teams chasing the four-time All-Star player even with the 31-year-old in tow.

According to Jon Heyman, the Giants are still open to offering a big offer to Judge, reportedly in the vicinity of $360 million.

Despite this claim, the New York Yankees are still seen as the favorites to retain the services of the 2022 AL MVP.

Regardless, nothing is officially set in stone.

Assuming that the Giants can pull off a deal and end up with both Haniger and Judge, there is no doubt that they may be a team to watch in the 2023-24 MLB season.

The Giants won three World Series titles from 2010 to 2014 and have since made the playoffs only twice.

As for Judge, he remains the most-coveted player in free agency to date. He hit .311 with 62 homers, 131 RBI, 133 runs and a 1.111 OPS.

As of this writing, Judge has not yet decided on his MLB plans according to officials directly involved in the negotiations.

"I know nothing, I really don't," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said as quoted by USA Today. "We haven't heard anything. I know it's been obviously an ongoing negotiation."