3 Aaron Judge destinations if Yankees let him walk in free agency

2. Chicago Cubs

Cubs fans were outraged that the team traded both Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, two core pieces and team legends from their 2016 World Series. But Jed Hoyer was on to something.

Scummy business or not, the Cubs are on a hell of a trajectory to contend as early as 2022. They signed Marcus Stroman to join Kyle Hendricks atop the rotation. They also brought in Wade Miley and Clint Frazier, both of whom could contribute in an above-average capacity if things go well. And don’t forget about Nick Madrigal and Codi Heuer, both of whom came over at the trade deadline in the Craig Kimbrel deal with the White Sox.

They have a lot of young talent to potentially build around, too. Adbert Alzolay, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner and others are still under club control. Their payrolls are right in the $110 million range from 2022-2025.

An impact player like Judge could completely flip the weak-yet-all-over-the-place NL Central on its head. Now, one problem exists, and that’s the presence of Jason Heyward, who is the starting right fielder and is signed through 2023 at $22 million per season. However, the Cubs can either move him to center field (where he played 84 games in 2019 or trade him (what contender wouldn’t want a power-hitting defensive stalwart on an expiring contract?). Easy solutions.

Additionally, the Cubs have no players signed long-term. David Bote is the only player guaranteed a contract beyond 2023. They do have an improving farm system, though, after moving up from No. 24 in August to No. 15 in February in Baseball America’s rankings. Another big city with sky-high expectations for Judge? He’d fit right in if the Cubs will have him.

1. San Francisco Giants

Come on, you knew it. This has long been a speculated landing spot for Judge if his tenure with the Yankees doesn’t work out. Rumors about the Giants’ interest in Giancarlo Stanton years ago also make this more of a potential reality.

And after a 107-win season with a number of those building blocks still in place — Brandon Crawford, Alex Wood, Anthony DeSclafani, Mike Yastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., Tyler Rogers, Logan Webb and more — the Giants have no reason not to go for the jugular, especially with the Los Angeles Dodgers likely prepping for a spending spree with so many guys possibly coming off the books following 2022.

The Giants have estimated payrolls of $131 million and $87 million in 2023 and 2024. Evan Longoria’s huge contract either takes a big dip to $13 million in 2023 or can be bought out for $5 million. Brandon Belt’s qualifying offer figure of $18.4 million is done after 2022. The flexibility is there.

Another reason this could be a serious possibility is because reports have suggested the Giants might not spend big when the lockout ends. They’ve seemingly kept their distance from Kris Bryant. They let Kevin Gausman go. The only notable name they’ve been tied to in free agency is Seiya Suzuki, who could really end up anywhere given the excessive interest.

One thing we know about the Giants is that they thrive with a face(s) of the franchise. Barry Bonds, Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner and Crawford have been among the steady, main figures dating back to 1993. Right now, San Fran is an assortment of wily veterans and young studs, but one could argue they need a true star to bring back the glory days.

With a ton of financial flexibility and big market spending power, expect the Giants to be all over Judge (a Linden, CA native who sure as hell isn’t signing with the A’s) if he puts one pinky toe in the free agent pool.

Aaron Judge’s candor about lack of extension should wake Yankees up

The New York Yankees still haven't offered Aaron Judge a contract extension as he heads into his final year of team control. Here's what he had to say.