Breaking: Yankees Superstar Speaks Out on Former Teammate’s Shocking Departure
It’s been over two months since the New York Yankees lost Juan Soto in an epic bidding war with the New York Mets. In perhaps the biggest story of the MLB offseason, Soto joined the Mets on a staggering 15-year, $765 million deal — the largest contract in professional sports history.
With both teams down at spring training, the Yankees are missing Soto. Not only did he help them reach the World Series last year, but he was also AL MVP runner-up to Aaron Judge.
At spring training on Monday, Judge opened up to reporters about Soto’s stunning decision to join New York’s crosstown rivals.
“I wasn’t too surprised by it,” Judge admitted. “I think that’s where he wanted to be. I think that’s where it was best for him and his family. He got a pretty nice deal over there, so you can’t say no to that.”
While Judge will miss batting behind his former teammate, he says he’s happy for Soto and his historic payday.
“I’m happy for him. He got a good deal. He’s gonna be in a great spot,” Judge said. “It’s gonna be great having him in town. We’re gonna be battling back and forth for quite a few years. I’m definitely happy for him.”
Judge also revealed that he’s stayed in touch with Soto this offseason, although it was difficult at first because the latter changed his phone number.
Losing Soto is disappointing, but Judge & Co. must move on. The Yankees did everything they could to keep Soto, offering him 16 years and $760 million — far more than they gave Judge (nine years, $360 million).
If Soto wanted to be a Yankee, he’d still be a Yankee. But at the end of the day, he preferred the Mets, where he’ll get to be the face of the franchise and return to his old NL East stomping grounds.
The reigning AL champs still have a great team , especially after adding Max Fried and Cody Bellinger in the offseason. Bellinger is no Soto, of course, but he’s a former MVP and World Series champ. Like Soto, he’s also a left-handed bat who should pair nicely with Judge.
With Judge and Soto both in the Big Apple, it will be interesting to see them square off over the next few years. Neither player has won a World Series yet, but time will tell if Soto made the correct decision.
