MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last week that Yankees captain Aaron Judge wouldn't care about being the second-highest-paid player on the team if it meant holding onto All-Star outfielder Juan Soto.
New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto and center fielder Aaron Judge. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
On Thursday, Heyman offered an update on that take, noting that Judge gave the Yankees somewhat of a hometown discount when he signed a nine-year, $360M deal to stay with the organization in December 2022 amid interest from the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
Additionally, Heyman alluded that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen may or may not have had a handshake agreement with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner regarding Judge's future roughly two years ago. No such pact exists regarding Soto, who is widely expected to be on the Mets' radar this coming fall.
Heyman also pointed out that Judge turned 32 this past spring, while Soto will be just 26 when he signs his next contract.
"Age plays," Heyman explained. "(Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher) Yoshinobu Yamamoto, like Soto, just 25, got $325M with no MLB experience (plus a $50.6M posting fee was paid). Every big-market team was in, and the Phillies reportedly were going even higher."
Heyman insisted that Judge "doesn’t care much about money and gets the importance of Soto for the team." That shouldn't be undersold, considering it's no secret that Judge has warmly embraced everything that comes with being the captain and face of MLB's most storied franchise.
With all of that said, there remains no indication Soto will sign an extension with the Yankees before he's eligible to reach free agency shortly after the World Series. Meanwhile, Steinbrenner raised alarms among Yankees fans when he said this past spring that the club's payroll is "not sustainable" due to luxury-tax penalties.
Most MLB reporters and analysts expect Soto to want to reset the market regardless of whether or not he earns a championship ring with the Yankees this fall.
As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the first-place Yankees (75-53) second among the betting favorites at +550 odds to win the 2024 World Series. Perhaps Soto helping the Bronx Bombers do what they haven't done since 2009 would convince him to follow in Judge's footsteps and keep Steinbrenner from having to enter a bidding war come November.
