Aaron Judge Unfazed by Potential Juan Soto Deal Being Bigger Than His Own
Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees’ captain, is unconcerned if free agent Juan Soto signs a bigger deal than his own $360 million, nine-year contract. “It ain’t my money. I really don’t care as long as we get the best players, we get the most that we can, I’m happy with whatever,” Judge said.
Soto, who is 26 and a free agent, has met with the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Red Sox, and plans to meet with the Phillies. Judge hasn’t spoken with Soto since the World Series, but believes it’s important to give him space to make his own decision.
The Yankees had a good meeting with Soto, which included owner Hal Steinbrenner, team president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone, and senior adviser for baseball operations Omar Minaya. Steinbrenner said the team will be in the mix to sign Soto, but is unsure if they will be able to keep him.
Judge praised Soto’s impact on the team, saying that having him in the lineup ahead of him allowed him to see more pitches and wear down the opposing pitcher. He joked that if he could have eight Juan Sotos in the lineup, he would love that.
Judge’s contract is the fourth largest in baseball, behind the deals of Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Mookie Betts. However, he doesn’t feel pressure to be the highest-paid player on the team, citing the example of teammate Giancarlo Stanton, who didn’t care about being the highest-paid guy when he joined the Yankees.
In accepting his second AL MVP award, Judge credited his teammates for his success, saying that it’s always going to be a team award in his book.