Aaron Judge and Juan Soto need to help the New York Yankees end their title drought. It has been a too-long wait for the 27-time champions. The last time they won a World Series was back in 2009. That was the last time they had been to the ‘Big Dance.’ Can they make it that far in 2024? Only time can tell. But the NY side can be sure of one thing and that’s the offense is one of the best this season because of the Judge-Soto duo. Adding the Dominican slugger to the roster to pair him with the captain was a masterstroke. Lately, the lethal offensive duo of the Bronx Bombers are breaking several franchise records.
They are drawing comparisons with the great duos, for instance, the Gehrig-Ruth duo and the Maris-Mantle duo. But these legendary duos in the past have one thing in common, and that’s their success in winning the World Series multiple times. Can the Judge-Soto duo do that, too? But the big question is where the future of Soto lies. If the Yankees manage to sign the Dominican slugger for the long term, it will break the franchise contract record for the biggest free agent signing. What would the captain think about that?
MLB Insider Says, Aaron Judge Doesn’t Care About The Money
If it means that the Yankees can hold Juan Soto for the remainder of his career, Aaron Judge won’t mind being the second-highest paid player in the franchise, says Jon Heyman. On Thursday, the MLB insider mentioned that the 2022 AL MVP had given the Bronx Bombers some sort of a “Hometown discount” while signing the nine-year deal worth $360 million. Back in December 2022, several teams like the San Diego Padres and his home team, the San Francisco Giants showed interest in him. If he had signed with either of those two teams, he could earn much more than $400 million. Moreover, Heyman noted that there might have been some sort of “Handshake agreement” between Steve Cohen (The Mets owner) and Hal Steinbrenner (The Yankees owner) regarding Aaron Judge about two years ago.
Perhaps they had a discussion about Judge’s future. But there is no such agreement about Juan Soto, who will be under the radar of the Mets next free agency. Moreover, the MLB insider pointed out that age plays a crucial role. Hence, the Yankees will surely have a tough fight during the bidding war for the 26-year-old superstar. They will have to offer Juan Soto around $500 million or more. It will make Judge the second-highest player on the team. But Heyman believes Aaron Judge never cared about the money. Instead, the California native will embrace anything that comes his way as the face of the MLB’s most successful team.
Can The Yankees Keep Juan Soto For The Rest Of His Career?
Heyman pointed at the signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto by the Los Angeles Dodgers, saying, “Age plays.” Without any MLB experience, the Japanese sensation signed with the “New Evil Empire” of the league for a $325 million contract over 12 years last offseason. What about Juan Soto’s value going to the next offseason? Some experts suggest that Soto will sign a 14-year deal worth $600 million. Perhaps the New York Mets can go as high as $600 million looking at their payroll situation.
But Hal Steinbrenner raised alarms among the Yankees Faithful during the last spring, saying, they don’t have a sustainable payroll. Moreover, Soto seems unlikely to sign a deal before testing his value in free agency. Does that mean the Bronx Bombers are out of luck about keeping Juan Soto for the long term? If the Yankees win the World Series this year, Soto might follow the footsteps of Aaron Judge in keeping the Yankees owner from entering the bidding war next November.
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