Judge on Soto saying Mets give him best chance to win: 'I definitely disagree'

TAMPA, Fla. -- The text messages apparently went unread this past offseason, perhaps sent to a number no longer active. After initially saying he would give Juan Soto space to navigate free agency, Aaron Judge reached out, hoping to sway his former teammate to continue chasing titles in the Bronx.

There is no way to know if those words might have changed the outcome; probably not, considering Soto has said a factor in his decision to sign a 15-year, $765 million contract was the belief that the Mets are better set up to win more than any of the other clubs that pursued him in free agency -- including the Yankees.

¡°That's his opinion,¡± Judge said on Monday. ¡°He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him.¡±

Though it lasted only a year, the partnership between Judge and Soto made history. With Judge belting 58 homers and Soto slugging 41, they were just the third set of Yankees teammates to hit 40 or more homers in a season, joining Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (1927, ¡¯30, ¡¯31) and Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (1961).

Judge (133 walks) and Soto (129 walks) were also the first Major League teammates ever to tally at least 40 homers and 120 walks in a season. Judge unanimously won the American League¡¯s MVP award, while Soto -- who belted a pennant-winning homer to vault the Yankees into the World Series -- finished third.

Now they¡¯re crosstown rivals, their home stadiums separated by approximately eight miles and the East River. Judge said he and Soto eventually connected and ¡°chit-chatted a little bit¡± once the deal was finalized; seeing Soto in orange and blue may take some getting used to, but there¡¯s plenty of time on the clock for that.

¡°It¡¯s going to be great having him in the town,¡± Judge said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be battling back and forth for quite a few years.¡±

The first installment of the Subway Series is scheduled at Yankee Stadium May 16-18, and only certain members of the 2017-era Houston Astros have experienced the levels of vitriol that Soto will likely experience, spewing from a formerly adoring fan base that spent months begging him to sign on the dotted line.

But it¡¯s important to remember that the Yankees were Soto¡¯s third organization, after he was signed by the Nationals and traded to the Padres.

Speculation that he would accept a lesser deal to remain in pinstripes, as Judge did in the 2022-23 offseason, proved far-fetched. Soto enjoyed playing in New York, but he would offer no discount.

¡°I wasn¡¯t too surprised by it,¡± Judge said. ¡°I think [the Mets are] 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. I mean, you can¡¯t say no to that. But I¡¯m happy for [him].¡±

And the Yankees had a Plan B ready to go when Soto did not choose them (managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner¡¯s final offer was reportedly 16 years at $760 million).

Soto¡¯s decision came down on a Sunday evening, and two days later, the Yankees had pivoted to sign left-hander Max Fried to an eight-year contract. They soon beefed up their bullpen by trading for All-Star closer Devin Williams and right-hander Fernando Cruz, then re-signed left-hander Tim Hill.

For their lineup -- where Soto¡¯s absence will be felt most intensely -- the Yankees are ready to bank on bounce-back seasons from a couple of former MVPs, having traded for outfielder Cody Bellinger and signed first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Judge is looking forward to seeing how much thump those marquee hitters provide.

¡°They are going to add such a different dynamic to this team,¡± Judge said. ¡°It really lengthens out our whole lineup. When you have those guys batting in the middle of the order, a lot of good things are going to happen.

¡°You can't replace a guy like Juan Soto, but you bring in guys like this that are All-Stars, MVP-caliber players -- we did a pretty good job.¡±