Aaron Judge and Juan Soto supplied a devastating one-two offensive punch in the Yankees lineup (
Aaron Judge needs to be more involved and ‘flex his muscle’ if the New York Yankees are to retain Juan Soto in free agency, it's been claimed.
The Yankees made a big swing when they traded for Soto from the San Diego Padres back in December 2023, despite knowing he was set to be a free agent. Even as a one-year rental, Soto flashed his superstar talent in the Bronx.
Across the 2024 season, Soto finished the regular season batting .288 (9th in the AL)/.419(2nd)/.569(3rd) with a career-high 41 home runs (3rd) and 109 RBIs (4th). He was also second in MLB in walks with 129 and played a pivotal role in leading the Yankees to the World Series.
Soto, who joined eventual winner Judge and the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. as AL MVP finalists, is undoubtedly one of the top talents on the market. The 26-year-old is attracting interest from the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and World Series champion LA Dodgers, as well as the New York Mets.
Earlier in the offseason, Judge reportedly met with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner in Tampa and relayed the importance of signing Soto. Former Mets pitcher Trevor May believes Judge needs to be more aggressive to ensure the Yankees retain Soto.
“What do we know about Aaron Judge?” May said on his ‘Foul Territory’ podcast. “He is not the most in-your-face, strong personality. I-am-going-to-insert-myself-into-this-situation guy. That doesn’t seem like something he’s comfortable or likes doing.
“I understand that comes with the captain tag. That’s just what it feels like to me. He’s either lying through his teeth, which I don’t think he’d do. He’s not a guy that would blatantly say, ‘I did not call him’ and actually called him. He would dance around it a little bit more.”
Juan Soto is the most coveted player in free agency (
In a conference call after winning his second MVP, Judge claimed he had not reached out to Soto since the Yankees fell to the Dodgers in the World Series. But May is adamant that Judge must step out of his shell to persuade Soto to stay with the iconic franchise.
“But if you want him, sometimes you just have to flex that muscle a bit because you’re Aaron Judge, man,” May added. “You are the LeBron James of the game right now, so just be him and if that helps you and you get him that’s all that matters at the end of the day. It is interesting and kind of odd that he was very adamant about his not talking to him, which seemed a little out of place with the situation.”
The Yankees and Mets are considered the favorites for Soto, who is reportedly looking for a deal worth at least $600 million for up to 14 years. He turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Washington Nationals in 2022 before he was traded to the Padres.
Following his MVP win, Judge told reporters he wanted Soto to return to the Yankees, who finished with a 94-68 record before reaching their first World Series since 2009. He said: “I think the best thing is to give those guys space. I talked to him all season. He knows how we feel about him. The most important thing is to let him do his thing … and come to the right decision for him and his family.”
Soto is not expected to make a decision until the Winter Meetings, which begin Dec. 9 in Dallas.
