Aaron Judge will be a free agent come November, and after turning down a 15-year, $440 million deal from the Nationals, Juan Soto is likely to be traded sometime in the next season-plus.
Imagine those two All-Stars in the same outfield?
“That would be special,” Judge said Monday at All-Star media availability. “He’s a generational talent, that’s for sure. Great left-handed bat that hits for average, hits for power, walks, he’s a competitor, he’s been in big games. That’d be pretty cool, but it’s kind of tough to talk about hypotheticals.”
Tough to talk in hypotheticals for Judge, but easy for everyone else.
“I love that rumor – I think we need to keep them on the front page,” Gerrit Cole joked with Andy Martino of SNY. “All I can do is praying hand emoji, right?”
So then, now, imagine the Yankees make a deal for Soto now, perhaps to replace Judge long-term but pair with Judge now?
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“I don’t try to get ahead of myself. You can hope and you can dream, but I’ve seen a lot of things in my six years in the league that might happen and never do,” Judge smiled. But no matter where he goes, he’s a special talent, and he’ll help any club.”
Assuming, that is, it’s not one the Yankees will see in October this year.
“Juan’s a special talent all around, and he’s also a leader in that clubhouse – I would hate to see him go to a team that we gotta play down the stretch," Judge laughed. "It would be fun to see him be in New York or be wherever he wants to be. He’s definitely a game changer, for sure.”
Cole knows that for sure, having seen Soto in the 2019 World Series while he was an Astro.
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“We faced him for seven straight games, and we really didn’t have a good answer for him,” Cole said. “He’s super-disciplined, and sometimes with great hitters, leverage doesn’t matter, because if they get a pitch they want to hit, they’ll swing no matter the count. He forces you to stay inside the strike zone, because he’ll take his walks, and he covers the high fastball and change of speeds.”
Cole also told Martino any team should “try to move Heaven and Earth” to get Soto if he’s available, because he’s one of the select few Cole would want to see up for his team in a big spot.
"You’re pretty much going for a mishit or you’re trying to get a call or trying to surprise him and make a good pitch on a corner,” Cole said. “That’s pretty much your only shot."
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