Mark Willard and Dan Dibley asked Giants pitcher Logan Webb to do them a solid favor on behalf of the Bay Area: plunk Aaron Judge on opening day.
They were joking, of course, but Webb didn’t take the bait. The Giants opening day starter joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” Friday for a fun, free-ranging chat about a whole bunch of topics.
Just don’t expect him to give Judge any chin music after he decided not to sign with San Francisco this past offseason.
"No I will not,” Webb said. “Look, I was as sad as anyone else when he didn’t sign with us. But he’s a great dude. Happy for him that he got that big contract out there."
Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million extension with the Yankees after reportedly getting an offer in the same price range from the Giants. He could very well be the in leadoff spot for the Bronx Bombers on opening day.
The 26-year-old Webb said he’s excited for the opportunity to get the start in Bronx, as it will mark his second straight season as the opening day starter. Manager Gabe Kapler confirmed the expected news on Tuesday in Arizona.
Webb also admitted that he had some FOMO (fear of missing out) while playing against Team USA last week in Scottsdale, but said he wanted to make sure he was ready for San Francisco this season.
“But I did have a lot of that (FOMO),” Webb said. “I saw them on the field, taking BP, and I was watching, I was like, ‘Man it would have been cool to play with those guys and wear that uniform.’ … I’m still a younger guy, I can’t step on any toes or anything. But if we wanna change some of the stuff we’re doing around here, just being a part of that. I thought it was important to be here.”
Despite the PECOTA projections of another .500 season, following an 81-81 campaign in 2022, Webb is high on the Giants.
“We have a lot of guys that are grinders,” Webb said. “A lot of really good baseball players who have had really, really good seasons that might have been hurt the year before or had a down year. We’re excited to come out and prove people wrong.”