Joc makes pitch for Judge: 'We're ready when u are 99'

While Giants officials met with Aaron Judge in San Francisco on Tuesday, the free-agent slugger also got a recruiting pitch from Giants outfielder Joc Pederson on social media.

Pederson took to Instagram and sent out an image of Judge in a Giants uniform with the caption, “I got 99 problems … winning ain’t one. We’re ready when u are 99,” making reference to a well-known Jay-Z song and Judge’s No. 99. Pederson also included two trophy emojis, presumably meant to represent the World Series titles he won with the Dodgers in 2020 and the Braves in '21.

Pederson, a Northern California native like Judge, signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Giants prior to 2022. He joined Judge on the free-agent market earlier this offseason but quickly returned to San Francisco, accepting the team’s one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offer.