All accounts point to a good season for the New York Yankees. The American League’s top seed and a spot in the World Series are not to be taken lightly. However, when you’re that close to ultimate glory, death is even more agonizing. The Yankees were absolutely outmatched on the World Series stage.
Why? There are various explanations, but one of the main culprits is Aaron Judge. Judge, who was named American League MVP for the second time in his career this week, is without a doubt one of his generation’s finest hitters. In 2024, the 32-year-old had the finest season of his storied career, hitting 58 home runs and driving in 144 runs. His slash line —.322/.458/.701 — almost does not appear real. Judge is an unrivaled regular-season weapon, but the Yankees’ hopes are buried under the initial 162-game schedule.
Judge is still looking for the elusive World Series ring. His October stats were dismal:.184/.344/.408 with three home runs, nine RBI, and 20 strikeouts in 49 at-bats. He was still able to draw walks at a good rate, but Judge’s bat became quite cold over the month. It was a very bizarre development. It’s strange to witness an all-time hitter forget his swing, and Judge has struggled in the postseason before.
Judge is likely to get additional opportunities, but if Juan Soto leaves, the Yankees risk falling behind this winter. Ideally, Judge would play a key part in persuading Soto to re-sign, but… here’s what the reigning AL MVP had to say about it on Friday.
Aaron Judge isn’t trying to recruit Juan Soto back to the Yankees
This is a wonderful gesture for a buddy, but it also… doesn’t make sense. What are we discussing here? Soto isn’t getting much space these days. He’s taking phone calls from general offices across the league, and you can guarantee that other players — Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper, Francisco Lindor, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — will be involved in courting Soto as these talks progress.
There is no evidence to back up Judge’s words — this might all be a mist of smoke in our eyes — but when he avoided the media immediately following his MVP proclamation, people began to assume he was escaping the inevitable Soto questions. Judge should undoubtedly contact Soto, pitching him on their camaraderie and the distinct taste of victory in a Yankees uniform.
Nothing in baseball compares to the historic significance of winning as a Yankee. Is that fair to the non-Yankees fans? Not so, but the franchise has a particular place in baseball history. If Judge and Soto spend the next decade blasting home runs in Yankee Stadium, it will likely be a seminal moment in baseball history. If Soto moves to Toronto and plays for a feisty Blue Jays team, will we be talking about it in 50 years? Well, probably not.
It is unusual that New York lost the World Series and Judge (or Soto) simply cut off communication totally. These are probably teammates and pals who enjoyed each other’s company during the season. I’m not suggesting Judge needs to send a Yankees emoji to Soto’s texts every morning, but checking in and discussing free agency doesn’t seem like an inconvenience. That seems like standard procedure in these instances.
Judge wishes to be regarded as one of the all-time greats in New York. Convincing Soto to stick around would undoubtedly help him enhance his resume.
