Aaron Judge, the captain of the New York Yankees, understands what All-Star outfielder Juan Soto is going through as he plays for the team during his contract year.
In a column published on Tuesday by ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, Judge revealed what he told Soto this spring about impending free agency.
“I basically talked to him early on and told him to do his thing. There will be a lot of commotion, but you just play your game and do your best. “All that stuff will work out in the end,” Judge stated. “And we just kind of left it at that because I remember how it felt when I was going through it. I didn’t want someone bringing it up every day. I didn’t want someone to bring it up every month. It was brought up after a good month and again after a bad month. It’s simply, ‘Go do your thing.'”
Before Opening Day in 2022, Yankees senior vice president/general manager Brian Cashman famously told reporters that Judge had turned down New York’s seven-year, $213.5 million contract extension offer and would remain on schedule to reach free agency that season. Judge then set an American League single-season record of 62 home runs before signing a nine-year, $360 million contract to remain with the Yankees.
While becoming the 16th captain in Yankees history meant a lot to Judge, who had only played for the storied franchise at the highest level, Soto joined the Bronx Bombers from the San Diego Padres in a December 2023 trade and had no prior ties to the organization. The 25-year-old has subsequently had a career-best season and is expected to receive a contract offer for $600 million over 12 years from a bidder such as the New York Mets when he enters the open market following the 2018 World Series.
“The Mets loom as the Yankees’ strongest competition, according to people with knowledge of the situation,” Castillo wrote about Soto’s postseason prospects. “Mets owner Steve Cohen’s deep pockets and burning desire to win could upend the bidding war.”
If Cohen is serious about outbidding all other owners for the slugger’s services, including the Yankees’ Hal Steinbrenner, Soto may have to choose between resetting the market for position players and accepting less money to make a legacy with his current employer. For the time being, Soto seemed content to focus on helping the first-place Yankees (83-61) make their first World Series appearance since winning the Fall Classic in 2009.
“Who wouldn’t want to be a part of Yankee history? “I believe the only way to be a part of Yankees history is to be a champion,” Soto recently stated.
It remains to be known whether Soto would offer Steinbrenner a discount to pursue a World Series ring with the Yankees if the team falls short of its primary goal this October.
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