Yankees' Aaron Judge not 'too surprised' by Juan Soto's decision to sign with Mets: 'I think that's where he wanted to be'

TAMPA, Fla. — Among Juan Soto’s reasons for choosing the Mets over the Yankees, the outfielder said, was that he felt he had a better chance of winning a title in Queens than in the Bronx.

Not surprisingly, Aaron Judge took issue with that, albeit with a smile.

“That’s his opinion,” he said on Monday after the Yankees went through their first full-squad workout. “He can say what he wants. But I definitely disagree with him.”

As for Soto’s decision to take the Mets’ 15-year, $765 million contract offer over the Yankees’ offer of $760 million over 16 years, Judge said: “I wasn’t too surprised by it. I think that’s where he wanted to be. I think that’s where it’s best for him and his family.

“He got a pretty nice deal over there. You can’t say no to that. I’m happy for him. He got a good deal, he’s going to be in a great spot. It’s going to be great having him in town and be battling back and forth for quite a few years. I’m definitely happy for him.”

Judge said he “tried” to text with Soto in the offseason but said Soto “got a different number.” He added that the two eventually “chit-chatted a little bit.”

“Soto is one of a kind, he’s a special player,” Judge said of the impact of losing the superstar from the Yankees’ lineup.

Soto and Judge formed the deadliest 2-3 lineup punch in the sport in 2024 and arguably one of the best such combinations in baseball history. Soto hit .288 with 41 homers, 31 doubles, 109 RBIs and a .989 OPS. Judge batted .322 with 58 homers, 36 doubles, 144 RBIs and a 1.159 OPS en route to his second American League MVP in three years.

Even without Soto, Judge is optimistic about the 2025 lineup, mentioning the additions of former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, one of the best first basemen of the last generation.

“We added a lot of new pieces here, starting with Bellinger and Goldschmidt,” Judge said. “They are going to add such a different dynamic to this team. It really lengthens out our whole lineup. When you have those guys batting in the middle of the order, a lot of good things are going to happen.

“You can’t replace a guy like Juan Soto, but you bring in guys like this that are All-Star, MVP-caliber players, you’re doing a pretty good job.”

Speaking earlier in the week of the Yankees’ lineup, manager Aaron Boone gave the front office high marks for its work this winter.

“We did a lot to try and keep him here,’’ Boone said of Soto. “But there’s a lot of ways to build a great team.”

The Yankees’ first big move after losing Soto was signing lefthander Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million deal, a move Judge heartily endorsed.

“He’s got five or six different pitches and he’s got great command of all of them,” he said. “He can run it up to 95, 96, 97 on you. He’s a guy that’s determined. He’s not going to back down.

“You saw him pitch in big game after big game, especially during [Atlanta’s] World Series run [in 2021]. He’s a competitor with great stuff. He could throw one pitch and get you out with that pitch, but he’s got five or six.”

After the Yankees fell to the Dodgers in five games last October — blowing a 5-0 lead in Game 5 in a nightmare five-run fifth inning set up when Judge dropped a routine fly ball to center — the captain said: “I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die.”

Judge said he was able to turn the page on the loss a few days after the World Series but added that he’s noticed an increased hunger from his returning teammates to finish the job this year as the feeling was “a lot worse” than missing the playoffs in 2023.

“That left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth, but I think this past season, getting a chance to kind of nibble on that final piece, getting close to a championship, I think that really drives that hunger and passion of the guys,” said Judge, who welcomed his first child, Nora, to the world in late January. “Checking in all offseason on certain guys . . . and they were ready to go a couple of weeks after the season was over. It’s going to be a fun year.”