You can walk from Oracle Park to Chase Center in about 10-15 minutes.
While the Warriors have become one of basketball’s biggest spenders with a 2022-23 payroll of $359.7 million, the Giants had MLB’s 13th-biggest payroll at $168.2 million, despite being the sport’s fifth-most valuable franchise ($3.5 billion). So, will the Giants make a splash this offseason by going all-in for Aaron Judge, who rooted for the franchise growing up?
Randy Miller of NJ.com spoke to a source who recently met with the Giants ownership group and shared some nuggets from their line of thinking. According to Miller’s source, the Giants may be feeling pressure to keep up with the Warriors’ spending habits, along with their free-wheeling rivals in the NL West, the Dodgers and Padres.
“They need a draw with the Dodgers and Padres in their division spending big money on big names,” the source told Miller. “I know the Giants also are feeling pressure with the Warriors’ basketball team doing so well and spending big in the same market.”
The source made the bold claim that the Giants will also try to lure two more high-profile free agents to San Francisco in order to entice Judge.
“Judge is at the top of the Giants list and they won’t be underbid,” the source told Miller. “If they miss out, it won’t be because of money. … The Giants are not going to stop with Judge. They have so much money freed up.”
Perhaps they can start by retaining southpaw Carlos Rodón, who has already been linked with former Giants manager Bruce Bochy and his new job with the Texas Rangers.
Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has been judicious with his spending despite having deep-pocketed ownership and it’s unrealistic to think they’ll capture lightning in a bottle again in 2021 with some low-risk moves that all hit in the same season. It’s time for Farhan to spend, and perhaps overspend, to stimulate a bored fanbase hungry for bold moves.
The glow of three World Series titles from 2010-14 has faded for the Giants. Maybe some of the championship shine from the Warriors, winner of four of the past eight NBA titles, can change things at McCovey Cove.
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