SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The San Diego Padres swung, but ultimately missed, in their pursuit of free agent outfielder Aaron Judge.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi was first to report Wednesday morning that Judge and the New York Yankees agreed to a deal. The agreed contract terms were later reported to be at 9 years and $360 million.
The San Francisco Giants and the Padres had been among the teams pushing to land the power-hitting outfielder, according to multiple published reports.
Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin with The Athletic, citing sources, reported that Padres officials met with Judge at Petco Park on Tuesday night in an attempt to sign the slugger.
MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand tweeted Wednesday: “The Padres came in with a significant offer to Aaron Judge on Tuesday, per source, but the slugger opted to return to the Yankees.”
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, San Diego's offer to Judge was $400 million over 10 years.
Rosenthal, in a column posted in The Athletic on Wednesday afternoon, said the Padres "did not offer $400 million to Judge."
The reports of the Judge pursuit come two days after the Padres made a contract offer to free agent shortstop Trea Turner that apparently included more money than the 11-year, $300 million deal he ended up signing with the Philadelphia Phillies.
