Judge envisioned joining Giants before re-signing with Yankees

Star outfielder Aaron Judge strongly considered signing with the San Francisco Giants last offseason before ultimately deciding to remain with the New York Yankees.

"Definitely," Judge told Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "When you're a free agent, you're looking at all the different options and seeing how it's going to turn out."

The Giants reportedly offered Judge the same nine-year, $360-million contract he signed with the Yankees.

The 2022 AL MVP grew up in Linden, California, just outside of San Francisco.

"It would have been a great place to play, but I ended up staying with New York and I think it was the right choice," Judge said.

The Yankees and Giants will square off in a three-game series at Oracle Park this weekend. Judge said he's "excited" to make his first career appearance in the ballpark he grew up attending. He missed New York's last trip in 2019 due to injury.

Judge is putting together another tremendous season at the plate. The 32-year-old has 18 home runs and 41 RBIs with a 1.020 OPS in 58 games. He's been particularly dominant in May, slashing .355/.479/.871 with 12 homers and 23 RBIs across 27 contests.