Giants in the hunt for another big free agent besides Aaron Judge

The San Francisco Giants have been very open about their ability to spend this offseason, and they may be aiming to sign more stars than just Aaron Judge.

The Giants are shopping this offseason with a huge target on star Aaron Judge, and they’ve been proactive on him by hosting meetings and sharing that if they don’t land him, it won’t be because they got outbid. While it’s well known they want to put Judge in their jersey, it’s lesser known that they’re reportedly seeking another star, too.

According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, Carlos Correa is also at the top of San Francisco’s list.

It’d be particularly smart for the Giants to spend big while they can because the NL West is growing more competitive every year. The Los Angeles Dodgers have notoriously acquired big stars over the past few years, including Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, making them consistent contenders. They’ve made the playoffs every year since 2013, so they’re undoubtedly hard to compete with.

The San Diego Padres had a strong effort this season and seem to be taking a page out of the Dodgers’ book, making their first playoff since 2006 (excluding the partial 2020 season) and looking like annual contenders with stars Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Joe Musgrove.

The Giants need to make improvement in they’re to rekindle the experience of the 2021 team, which won 107 games.

Giants could become competitive in the NL West with a few stars

If the Giants land both Carlos Correa and Aaron Judge, the team is about to have a whole new dynamic and will likely be successful. While it won’t single-handedly solve all of the issues that are present, it will make a huge push in the right direction and could make them stand out as contenders for the NL West. Signing one of the two is more realistic, of course.

Judge would bring massive improvements to the lineup as he was one of the bests in the league over the 2022 regular season, leading the league in several hitting stats. He had a historic season as well, breaking the 61-year-old single season home run record with 62 homers, and winning AL MVP.

His impact in the lineup would be immediately noticeable, and Correa would be a good player to throw in the mix, too. While he’s not Judge, he’s still a solid player with championship pedigree, slashing .291/.366/.467 for an OPS of .833 over the regular season. He’s an incredible defender and has been in the postseason six times with the Houston Astros, which is an impressive feat.

If the Giants can manage to lock down one or both players, they could truly be a threat in the division in 2023.