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The San Francisco Giants solicited the services of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry as part of their pursuit for Aaron Judge, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic.
“As part of their pitch, the Giants put Judge in touch with Steph Curry’s camp, hopeful that the two superstars could connect as Judge weighs his decision, sources told NBC Sports Bay Area,” per Pavlovic.
Judge reportedly spoke with Giants officials for two days in San Francisco.
According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, the Giants could table a formal contract offer as early as this week:
Jon Morosi @jonmorosiMy report on Aaron Judge for @MLBNetwork this morning — including his meeting with #SFGiants ownership. @MLB #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/Coo5HbFqPR
Judge is by far the best free agent on the market, and he’s coming off a monster 2022 season in which he set an American League record with 62 home runs.
Because of his likely demands, the pool of suitors for the four-time All-Star is relatively small, but that does little to limit his leverage. Along with the Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to make a play, and a reunion with the New York Yankees is a possibility.
Curry’s involvement won’t have a decisive impact on Judge’s decision, but a team attempting to sign the American League Most Valuable Player might as well exhaust all of the arrows in its quiver.
When the Boston Celtics made a run at Kevin Durant in 2016, they included Tom Brady in the group that met Durant that offseason.
Judge is from Linden, California, and attended Fresno State, so the 30-year-old is very familiar with Northern California and the surrounding region.
Curry is certainly the authoritative voice on what life is like when you’re a sports megastar in the Bay Area. He could provide Judge with insight on what to expect were he to head home to the West Coast.