Aaron Judge Doesn't Seem Pleased With Juan Soto

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto were teammates for one year with the New York Yankees, reaching the World Series before coming up short against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that one year, they made up one of the best hitting duos in baseball history. 

Judge was 118 percent better than league average on offense. That's not a misprint; Judge had the best offensive season of his career. Soto wasn't far behind, at 80 percent better than average on offense. He, too, had the best season of his career offensively, outside the lockdown-shortened 2020 season. 

Soto parlayed that success into a record-setting free agency contract with the Mets, getting 15 years and $765 million. At least. Judge, and Yankees fans, hoped he'd stay in the Bronx, but Soto said part of his motivation was going to a team with a better chance to win the World Series. His former teammate heard about that, and doesn't seem entirely pleased.

"That's his opinion," Judge said. "He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him."

TORONTO - Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees reacts to striking out against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning during their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on June 19, 2022. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

Aaron Judge Motivated To Get Back To The Fall Classic

Judge, known as one of baseball's most likable players, still said that he's going to enjoy playing against Soto in cross-town battles moving forward.

"It’s going to be great having him in town," Judge said. "We’re going to be battling back and forth for quite a few years."

He also wasn't surprised to hear Soto's choice, especially given the deal he got.

"I wasn’t too surprised by it," Judge said. "I think [the Mets are] where he wanted to be. I think that’s what was best for him and his family. He got a pretty nice deal over there. You can’t say [anything] about that. I’m happy for him."

The Yankees did add Cody Bellinger, Devin Williams, Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt this offseason, though replacing Soto's production won't be easy. Judge though, is "motivated" to get back to the Series after a heartbreaking Game 5 loss to the Dodgers.

"Getting to the dance and then losing out on it definitely is a lot worse than not even getting in," Judge said. "So guys are motivated. Guys are ready to go."

He too heard about several Dodgers players saying they knew the Yankees' defense was a major weakness. But unlike manager Aaron Boone and Jon Berti, he didn't take the bait.

"We heard that, but there's nothing you can do besides you have to beat them," Judge said. "They won. They can say whatever they want. So if you don't like it, you got to play better."

It's almost impossible for Judge to play better than he did in the 2024 regular season. He's going to need a lot more help around him to finally win the Yankees' first championship since 2009.