Logan Webb and Aaron Judge nearly became teammates once before, but now they’ll finally share a dugout-this time wearing red, white, and blue. The San Francisco Giants ace and the New York Yankees slugger will both suit up for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, and for Webb, the opportunity to play alongside Judge is a full-circle moment.
Speaking at Giants Fan Fest in San Ramon, Webb didn’t hide his excitement about joining forces with the three-time AL MVP.
“Aaron Judge is probably obviously the main guy that I’m really excited to play with,” Webb said. “I was involved in a lot of the Arson Judge situation, so I got to do the visit with him and I wanted to be his teammate then, and now I get to do it.
So, it will be exciting. We’ve texted back and forth a little bit.”
That “Arson Judge situation” was one of the more memorable moments from Judge’s free agency tour back in 2022. A now-infamous tweet mistakenly reported that “Arson Judge appears headed to the Giants,” sparking a frenzy among fans who believed the hometown hero was coming back to the Bay Area.
Judge, who grew up rooting for the Giants, did visit San Francisco and met with players like Webb during that process. But in the end, he returned to the Bronx, signing a nine-year, $360 million deal to stay with the Yankees.
While the Giants missed out on adding Judge to their everyday lineup, Webb now gets the next best thing: a chance to share the field with him as teammates on Team USA. And it’s not just about the star power-Webb is genuinely excited to soak in the experience of watching some of baseball’s best up close.
“It will be fun to just watch a lot of these guys take BP, let alone playing the game,” he said.
For Webb, representing the United States on the international stage is more than just a bucket list item-it’s a point of pride. He’s long wanted to don the Team USA jersey, and this year, everything finally aligned.
“It was something I wanted to do a couple years ago,” Webb said. “I feel like any time you get a chance to play for your country, I mean, for all these guys…”
He paused, referencing new Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who recently spoke about the pride of playing for South Korea.
“Listening to [Jung Hoo Lee] talk about playing for the Korean team is really cool, and I feel the same way about the USA team,” Webb added.
The call to join Team USA didn’t come out of nowhere. Webb said Team USA manager Mark DeRosa had been recruiting him over the past few years. And while Webb had hesitated before, a conversation with former Cubs manager David Ross and media personality Pat McAfee finally tipped the scales.
“I was actually with David Ross and Pat McAfee when I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll do it,’” Webb said.
With the World Baseball Classic set to run from March 5 to March 17, Webb’s offseason is shaping up to be anything but typical. He’s trying to keep his preparation as normal as possible, but he knows things will ramp up quickly once he joins the Team USA roster.
“I’m excited about it,” Webb said. “I’m trying to treat this offseason as normal as possible, but I definitely know there’s going to be more adrenaline going into springtime.”
Webb, who’s entering his eighth MLB season, is already one of the most reliable arms in baseball. Now, he’s adding international competition to his resume-and finally getting the chance to be teammates with Judge, even if it’s just for a few weeks. For a guy who once hoped to share a clubhouse with the Yankees captain in San Francisco, this is a pretty sweet consolation prize.
