Juan Soto made headlines when he admitted that he's being pitched to differently in the New York Mets' lineup without the protection of New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Soto's comments, which came during an interview with The New York Post on Monday, took on a life of their own in the heavily-scrutinized New York media market, especially in light of Soto's decision to leave the Bronx for Queens this offseason.
So, naturally, reporters wanted to know what Judge thought of Soto's remarks. When asked, the Yankees captain responded perfectly.
"I’m not really going to go back and forth with this," Judge told MLB.com. "He’s got probably one of the best hitters in the game behind right now in what Alonso is doing. It has been fun to watch. He’s hitting close to .400. He’s driving the ball to all over the field, driving guys in.
"I've seen Soto now watching the league for so many years, and getting a chance to see him up close -- he can look at what I did last April for an example of, he just needs to keep being himself. He's going to be just fine."
Judge, who won the '24 American League MVP, and Soto, who posted a career-best 41 home runs and a .989 OPS, did their best Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig impression while leading the Yankees to an AL East title and the club's first AL pennant since '09. Soto benefited from hitting behind Judge in more ways than one, but in no way more impactful than the record, $765 million contract he signed with the Mets after his productive season in the Bronx.
Soto, with just two home runs in 16 games in '25, hasn't been as productive from a slugging standpoint so far. But the four-time All-Star is still among the game's leaders in walks and runs scored for a Mets team that is currently in first place.
And Alonso, who's batting .345 and leads the National League in OPS, looks to be in the midst of a career year. Judge is likely right.
Soto will be just fine.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Judge Perfectly Responds to Juan Soto's Comments About Mets, Yankees Lineups.