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The New York Yankees lost Juan Soto to their crosstown rivals as the New York Mets landed baseball’s biggest free agent. When the dust settled following a multi-team bidding war, the Mets claimed the prized right fielder, signing Soto to an historic 15-year contract. At his introductory press conference Thursday, the $765 million man made the stunning admission that he hadn’t even spoken to any of his former Yankees teammates since the team lost the World Series.
Reporters followed up on the surprising lack of communication, confirming that Soto had not spoken to Aaron Judge during his free agency decision. The seven-year veteran was then asked if he expected to talk with his ex teammate. “Yeah, why not? At the end of the day, we're still friends, we're still cool. Everything that happened, it's just business. But the relationship that we created last year I think will stay forever,” Soto said per SNY Yankees Videos on X.
While it certainly sounded strange considering how close the players appeared while capturing the American League Pennant together last season, it’s not exactly an unforeseen revelation. Judge acknowledged that he hadn’t spoken to Soto since the World Series after he was awarded his second AL MVP Award in November.
Juan Soto still considers Aaron Judge a friend after spurning the Yankees for the Mets
Should he have reached out? Would it have made a difference? Haver of takes Stephen A. Smith floated the notion that Soto wasn’t interested in reuniting with Judge after witnessing the slugger’s collapse in the postseason, citing “people in the Dominican community that I know personally.”
Either way, Soto chose the Mets and the Yankees are moving on without him, confident the team tried its best to re-sign the four-time All-Star. An argument can be made that missing out on Soto will be a blessing in disguise. The Yankees have pivoted from spending $700+ million on one player to spreading the cash out and building a more complete team.
New York has already signed lefty starter Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. Now the Yankees are pursuing third baseman Alex Bregman and first baseman Christian Walker, hoping to add power and defense to the infield corner spots. While New York faces serious competition for Walker’s services, the team is prioritizing him over former Met Pete Alonso.
The Yankees are also interested in trading for Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker. While he’s not Soto, Tucker is an excellent right fielder. Of course, this throws a wrench into the plan to move Judge back to right in the absence of Soto. Also, a Tucker trade would reportedly cost the Yankees’ promising young pitcher Luis Gil.
With the Yankees and several other teams forced to pivot after failing to land Soto, the baseball news has been fast and furious. More moves are sure to come as MLB’s Winter Meetings wrap up on Thursday, December 12.
