Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Aaron Judge breaks silence on Juan Soto’s Mets jump, defends Yankees’ World Series hopes

"He can say what he wants"

Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Aaron Judge hit 58 home runs in 2024. Juan Soto hit 41. Together, they became just the third pair of Yankees teammates to each hit 40 or more homers in a single season – joining Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (1927, ’30, ’31) and Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (1961). You’d think Soto, arguably one of the top five hitters in the game today, would want to build on that historic season alongside the league’s best hitter.

Apparently not.

A duo that some might argue had more chemistry than most romantic couples lasted just one year. Soto hit free agency, switched boroughs, and signed a record-breaking, almost unreal 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets.

Judge and Soto also made history in another way – Judge (133 walks) and Soto (129 walks) became the first Major League teammates ever to tally at least 40 homers and 120 walks in a season.

What does Aaron Judge think about Juan Soto’s move?

The reigning, unanimous AL MVP tried to reach out to Soto in the offseason, but a change of phone numbers apparently left those messages unread. Soto has since said he believes the Mets have a better chance of winning. Judge doesn’t think so.

Aaron Judge was asked if he was "surprised" Juan Soto left for the Mets for a better chance to win a World Series:

"That's his opinion. He can say what he wants, I definitely disagree with it. I wasn't too surprised by it, I think that's where he wanted to be." pic.twitter.com/1Y3p51YkNW
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 17, 2025

“That’s his opinion. He can say what he wants—I definitely disagree with it. I wasn’t too surprised by it. I think that’s 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.”

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Despite the missed texts, the two recently caught up, and Judge kept things light. “It’s going to be great having him in town. We’re going to be battling back and forth for quite a few years.”

When will Aaron Judge and Juan Soto face off?

The Yankees and Mets will first face off on March 24th at Clover Park in spring training, followed by the first Subway Series showdown, from May 16-18 at Yankee Stadium. And if history is any indication, the reception Juan Soto gets from Yankees fans will be… intense, to say the least.

Aaron Judge

Juan Soto

Mets

Yankees

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.