ESPN News Services
TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge wasn’t that surprised by Juan Soto‘s decision to sign with the crosstown New York Mets but disagreed with his former teammate about which team is in a better spot to compete for championships.
Soto passed on a competitive offer from the Yankees in favor of a 15-year, $765 million deal with the Mets this winter, a decision the superstar made in part due to a belief that the Mets gave him the best chance to win over the next 15 years.
“That’s his opinion. He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him,” Judge said. “He’s going to be in a great spot. It’s going to be great having him in the town. We’re going to be battling back and forth for quite a few years.”
Judge hit third last year behind Soto and called him “one of a kind” and “a special player.” Because Soto changed his phone number, Judge wasn’t able to contact Soto until after the decision
“I wasn’t too surprised by it. I think that’s where he wanted to be. I think that’s where is best for him and his family,” Judge said. “He got a pretty nice deal over there. I mean, you can’t say no to that. But I’m happy for you.”
Judge, who turns 33 on April 26, won his second AL MVP award in three years after leading the major leagues last season with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks. He hit .322 as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009, only to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
“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.”
Judge dropped Tommy Edman‘s routine fly to center in World Series Game 5 for his first error of the year as the Yankees blew a 5-0 lead and were eliminated with a 7-6 loss. Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly said his team had anticipated defensive mistakes by the Yankees.
“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.”
Judge is likely to play primarily in right field following the acquisition of Cody Bellinger in an offseason trade with the Chicago Cubs. Judge was mostly in center last year.
Judge also addressed the birth last month of his daughter, Nora Rose, saying he feels extra motivation to play well this year.
“Having the chance to have her grow up and watch me do what I love, if there’s any way I can inspire her through playing this game to do something special, that’s going to be pretty cool,” the Yankees captain said.
“I’m getting older,” Judge added. “I don’t want to be the old man here in a couple of years, so I got to stay on top of my game. So she’s definitely going to motivate me, definitely keep me on my toes. and it’s going to be a fun couple of years, that’s for sure.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
