Aaron Judge, glancing up at the approaching horde of reporters on Tuesday afternoon, did not know at first what we wanted. He wondered aloud if he had missed something.
Yes, in fact, he had.
Judge had missed it when a former teammate,Juan Soto,answered a fair question with honesty and intelligence. He had then missed it when the least rational corners of New York sports fandom became loud online and on the radio, acting as if Soto had no right to be human.
This stupid fake controversy started on Monday afternoon when veteran Mets reporter Mike Puma of the New York Post quoted Soto about no longer hitting in front of Judge.
“It’s definitely different,” Soto told Puma. “I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me. I was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, less intentional walks and things like that. I was pitched differently last year.”
No problem with Puma’s question or execution. Unfortunately for Soto, those words spent the better part of a day bouncing around online and ultimately landed in the Yankees clubhouse.
“I’m not really going to go back and forth with this,” Judge said as he prepared to face the Kansas City Royals. “He’s got probably one of the best hitters in the game behind him right now in what [Pete] Alonso is doing. It has been fun to watch. He’s hitting close to .400. He’s driving the ball all over the field, driving guys in. So they’re gonna be good.”
Judge then referenced his own slow start last season and said that Soto’s production during that stretch showed that he didn’t need Judge. The captain batted .207 in March and April of 2024, while Soto batted .325.
“You can look at what I did last April as an example of how he just needs to keep being himself and he’ll be good,” Judge said.
Soto’s words banged around Yankeeland a bit on Tuesday. Other folks with the team recalled Soto as extremely well-liked and felt it a shame that a loud segment of the public discourse couldn’t handle the complexity of several facts:
1) Soto’s time with the Yankees was deeply meaningful to him; 2) he made a difficult decision to sign elsewhere; 3) it takes people time to fully adjust to new circumstances; 4) he is fitting in nicely with the Mets and is already popular with his new team.
This does not have to be binary. Soto can treasure his time with Judge and the Yankees and commit with his whole heart to this new chapter in Queens. Any fan who does not accept this dehumanizes Soto by expecting him not to feel.
Soto critics also forget that he personally lobbied owner Steve Cohen to sign Alonso as lineup protection for him. This meant a great deal to the Polar Bear and informed how he feels about his new teammate.
Around the Yankees, people who care about Soto note that he is playing a much different role for the Mets than he did here. After the Yanks traded for Soto, Judge told him privately that he didn’t have to be the guy, that the roster was loaded with talent and that Juan just had to be Juan. The pair rode that perfect balance all the way to the World Series.
The Mets then made Soto the richest athlete in the history of North American professional sports, shining a brighter spotlight in his face and perhaps placing a $765 million target on his back.
Soto is a big boy, and scrutiny is part of his job. But money can’t change a person’s basic character. Soto is a brilliant baseball player and fun teammate. He is fortunate to have Francisco Lindor just as he was fortunate to have Judge; those two are more interested than he is in vocal leadership. Today in the Yankees clubhouse, Soto’s adjustment to the expectation of being “the guy” in a personality sense was viewed as more relevant than his ability to perform in a lineup without Judge.
Fortunately, the Mets have a strong support system. In addition to Lindor in the clubhouse, Carlos Beltran is a member of the front office; he knows a thing or two about being dehumanized during his early days as a high-profile Met. Owner Alex Cohen is authentically interested in fostering an atmosphere that makes Citi Field feel like a home and the Mets like a family.
Good things are coming for Soto and the Mets. It’s just a shame that New York had to run the young man through the wringer today for the sin of offering a thoughtful answer.
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