San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Named Top 10 Landing Spot for New York Yankees Slugger
The San Francisco Giants have been superstar-hunting throughout the past few offseasons. Unfortunately, a lot has gone down since.
They couldn’t land Aaron Judge after reports that he was signing with the team. Carlos Correa also agreed to a $350 million deal before the Giants backed out due to a medical concern.
They landed Blake Snell, one of the top arms in Major League Baseball, but it’s different than landing a hitter. At the end of the day, hitting home runs sells tickets. The front office understands that, the fan base understands that, and so do the players.
There will be perhaps a bigger star than Judge and Correa on the market this year. Juan Soto of the New York Yankees hits free agency unless he gets a deal done within the next few months, and he’s projected to land a $500-plus million contract.
It’s uncertain if San Francisco would be willing to hand out that type of money, but given the success he’s found and his age, it’d be well worth the investment.
Some insiders believe the team will get involved.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post listed landing spots for the left-handed slugger, listing the Giants at No. 4.
“They showed interest in a Soto trade, and they’ve been trying to land a big positional star for years. Is a pitchers’ park a dealbreaker?”
Bringing up the ballpark is an interesting thing to talk about. Soto, who’s on the trajectory to be an all-time great, might be scared away by not playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark.
If he stays with the Yankees, he’d have the opportunity to play in one of the more hitter-friendly ballparks in Major League Baseball.
However, this situation is likely going to come down to money. If New York offered him $500 million and San Francisco offered him $575 million, he could prefer the extra $75 million
Agent Scott Boras has never been one to take less than he believes his client deserves. With Soto, who could genuinely reset the market for hitters, it’s safe to say that he’ll be searching for the top dollar available.
The Giants have some other holes they need to fill, so handing over $500 plus million to one player might not be the right decision. However, it’ll be a step in the right direction and could interest future free agents, which is very important.
If they want a star, nothing should stop their pursuit of signing one.