Giants’ offseason identity begins with Soto pursuit decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants spent months preparing to pursue Aaron Judge during the 2022 MLB offseason and put together a detailed plan for his visit to San Francisco just before Thanksgiving. When they had to shift to Carlos Correa after Judge returned to the New York Yankees, they spent significantly less time trying to impress the free agent.
Some team employees who had been involved in the Judge chase didn’t even know Correa was the organization’s new top target until word of an agreement — pending that physical, of course — leaked on social media.
That offseason taught the Giants a lot of lessons, including an obvious one: When it comes to the very top free agents, the team that offers the biggest contract almost always wins.
There are exceptions, and Judge was one of them. He used the Giants and then the San Diego Padres to get what he wanted from the Yankees, and then he returned to the only team he has ever known. This season, Judge teamed up with Juan Soto to lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years, and as Soto prepares to take his turn as the top free agent on the market, the Giants need to remember that lesson from 2022.
Correa agreed to hit at Oracle Park because the Giants offered him by far the largest deal. Sure, the shortstop would have stood on the podium and talked about how much he appreciated the history of the franchise, the fan base and the commitment to winning, but the truth would have been that he was a Giant because they committed to paying him $350 million.
Soto figures to handle his own free agency much in the same way. This isn’t Judge and this isn’t Shohei Ohtani presenting three teams with the same unique terms but ultimately sticking with his plan to be a Los Angeles Dodger. Executives around the league believe Soto will take the largest deal, period, and he did nothing to change that thinking after the Yankees lost the World Series.
Asked multiple times that night about staying in New York, Soto kept on message, saying he was looking forward to free agency and would be open to all 30 teams. At the General Manager meetings on Wednesday, agent Scott Boras made it clear that their side is aiming as high as possible, comparing his client to the Mona Lisa.
“He has literally 15 years more of his prime to offer,” Boras told reporters in San Antonio.
That makes the start of free agency actually…