Webb optimistic despite Giants' 'weird' offseason

SAN FRANCISCO -- Logan Webb was among the Giants players who took part in the club’s recruiting pitch to Aaron Judge earlier this offseason. After meeting with Judge at Oracle Park in late November, Webb spent a week texting Joc Pederson -- “my inside source for everything” -- to try to glean more information on the reigning American League MVP’s preferred landing spot.

There was a brief time when Webb believed Judge was heading to San Francisco, as an erroneous report suggested “Arson” Judge was on the verge of signing with the Giants during the Winter Meetings in San Diego. The tweet was retracted seven minutes later, prompting Webb to respond, “Not cool man.”

Judge ended up re-signing with the Yankees, but Webb said he believes the Linden, Calif., native’s interest in the Giants was genuine.

“I personally thought we had a pretty good shot, but that's how things go,” Webb said during the club’s FanFest at Oracle Park on Saturday. “I think we had an outside chance to start with. I get that. … But there were some times during the offseason where I really did think we were going to get him. It was tough, for sure. I think all of us in that meeting were butthurt a little bit because we all thought we did a pretty good job.”

The Giants’ offseason took another wild twist in December, when their 13-year, $350 million megadeal with shortstop Carlos Correa fell apart over medical concerns. The Mets also nixed their agreement with Correa before the two-time All-Star landed back with the Twins on a six-year, $200 million contract.

“It was a weird offseason, to be honest,” Webb said. “I know the guys in the clubhouse were excited about it. Sometimes weird stuff happens. I wish him nothing but the best. He's really a great guy. I was happy to get to know him a little bit and talk to him a little bit. I'll probably keep that friendship for a long time. Same with Aaron.”

While the Giants came up short in their attempts to land a superstar, Webb said he believes the club still boasts a deeper roster after re-signing Pederson and adding starters Sean Manaea and Ross Stripling, outfielders Michael Conforto and Mitch Haniger and relievers Taylor Rogers and Luke Jackson this offseason.

After their disappointing .500 finish last year, Webb said the Giants are motivated to prove people wrong and recreate the culture that led to their franchise-record 107 wins in 2021.

“I think that there are a lot of young guys that have a chance to come up and really contribute to this team,” Webb said. “I’m super excited about that. I think we’ll be a little underrated, for sure. We don’t have the big name, necessarily, but I think overall, top to bottom, we’ve got a ton of depth and there's a lot of good guys that want to win.”

Webb, who lives in Arizona during the offseason, said he’s been working out at the Giants’ Minor League complex at Papago Park, and he has been impressed by many of the club’s young prospects -- including Kyle Harrison, who was recently ranked the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old Harrison is expected to open the season at Triple-A Sacramento, but he’s likely to join Webb in the Giants’ rotation at some point in 2023.

“I’ve known him for a couple of years now,” Webb said. “He’s a great kid. You’re going to love him. He works really, really hard. He’s already throwing 95 [mph], which I told him he shouldn’t be throwing 95 yet. You want to say he’s going to come in and surprise people, but he’s not going to surprise anybody because he’s going to come in and do exactly what we think he’s going to do. I’m super excited to see that. It’s cool to talk to him about baseball and stuff because you think he’d played 10 years in the big leagues already. That’s the reason why I think he’s going to be so special.”