MLB Insider on Aaron Judge: "The Giants are clearly gung-ho in their efforts and said to be 'elated' by their visit this week with Judge"

The San Francisco Giants are apparently ecstatic at how Aaron Judge's visit to Northern California has turned out. The club remains one of the leading contenders to sign the superstar free agent. The 2022 American League MVP has been in the Bay Area over the last week. That has fueled speculation that he will be playing in San Francisco in 2023.

Aaron Judge finds himself in the perfect position. With a long list of teams interested in signing him, the right-handed slugger will have the rare opportunity to choose where he wants to play next year. According to a recent New York Post article, columnist Jon Heyman stated that San Francisco feels good about the past week with Judge.

"The Giants are clearly gung-ho in their efforts and said to be 'elated' by their visit this week with Judge," said Heyman

Judge is originally from Northern California, which fuels speculation that he will end up in San Francisco. He grew up in Linden, a town just under two hours away from Oracle Park.

"Giants said to be “elated” by Judge visit but they (and others) have obstacles to overcome to lure Judge away from Yankees" - Jon Heyman

The Giants still face competition from the Los Angeles Dodgers and, of course, the New York Yankees. All three clubs have the financial resources to offer Judge a lucrative contract.

The San Francisco Giants are rumored to be interested in free agent Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge against the Houston Astros in game two of the ALCS at Minute Maid Park

For any fan that doesn't understand why Judge has stirred up all this fuss, it's important to look back at his numbers.

The Yankees' slugger finished a historic season in 2022 by breaking the AL single-season home run record. In addition to his 62 home runs, he had 131 RBIs, 133 runs, and 177 hits. Judge finished with a slash line of.311/.425/.686 and a whopping 1.111 OPS.

"The Giants are pulling out all the stops in their pursuit of Aaron Judge" - Jomboy Media

Judge led MLB in home runs, RBIs, runs, OBP, slugging, and OPS.

Several high-profile athletes have come out endorsing Judge's move to the Bay area. NBA superstar Steph Curry is apparently doing his part to get Judge to join him in San Francisco. Former Golden State Warriors star Chris Mullin is also pushing for Judge to return to California.

The bidding war for Judge is in full swing. The New York Yankees are at risk of losing their top player. It will be interesting to follow how the negotiations proceed throughout the offseason.