Juan Soto’s defection from the Yankees to join the Mets has received enough media attention. The rivalries between the two New York teams in MLB, the Yankees and the Mets, are legendary. Now, with Soto switching sides, the Yankees are left with Aaron Judge
The two best right fielders, Soto and Judge, are now with the Mets and Yankees, respectively, indicating the next chapter in their rivalry. After playing together in 2024, it is also time to witness their greatness against each other. So, will their rivalry gain cult status, something like Bird and Magic’s rivalry?The legendary rivalry between NBA legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is second to none and was one of the main reasons why fans flocked to the Lakers vs Celtics clash
Now with the two main players in their position facing each other in the MLB, expecting a rivalry like Magic and Bird’s is not an exaggeration, especially since the Soto vs Judge rivalry is receiving more attention lately. What does this mean for the New York teams?
Aaron Judge vs. Juan Soto: A great rivalry is brewing
Yes, the Soto-Judge rivalry has all the ingredients to be a great rivalry. How? Well, Soto and Judge are still considered friends, and Judge had a good word about Soto after he switched sides. However, Judge’s comments about how he failed to connect with Soto during the latter’s free agency days indicate otherwise
According to a tweet from Bryan Hoch, “Aaron Judge said he has not spoken to Juan Soto, giving him space during free agency. Judge said he has met with Hal Steinbrenner to talk about Soto and other moves the team can make.”
Although Judge said recently that he would give Soto the space to navigate free agency, the 32-year-old had reached out to his former teammate in the hope that it would influence his decision, and they are likely to continue chasing a title in the Bronx
But, as luck would have it, Soto would have signed the 15-year, $765 million contract in the belief that the Mets are better prepared to win than any other club that sought him in free agency, including the Yankees.
And no points for guessing that such a statement from the 26-year-old would provoke a response from Judge. “That’s his opinion. He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him,” he said. Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that things might not be ideal between the two.
A few days after this, MLB expert C-Mac said: “I don’t want to get to the point of saying there’s bad blood, but that relationship doesn’t seem very good to me.” A great rivalry begins when one competes with another! Here there is a similar feeling.
“The rivalry between Aaron Judge and Juan Soto will be the greatest in New York baseball history,” said MLB expert Sal Licata. Why not? Apart from Shohei Ohtani, who represents the Dodgers, the other two biggest names in MLB, Soto and Judge, represent the two sides of New York.
Now that the two are at different clubs, the Yankees are preparing for their first games in spring training and will officially start the 2025 season when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays, and Aaron Judge knows the team needs to improve to make up for the loss of Juan Soto. He said: “The guys still want to get better, they still want to be better. They’re going to bring a very different dynamic to this team. It really lengthens this whole lineup. You can’t replace a guy like Juan Soto, but if you bring in guys like them who are All-Stars, MVP-caliber players, we did a really good job.”
Until last year, Soto and Judge had played almost the same number of games, with 936 and 993 games, respectively. While Judge accumulated 1,026 home runs, Soto remains with 934, which shows that his influence on the game is similar. While Juan Soto is on the receiving end of Yankees fans since he defected from the team, the Mets stand firm, posing as the winner by signing him.
The balance of power is tilted
Therefore, bad blood is already flowing between the fans. The Yankees have moved away from the George Steinbrenner era, and are now not in command as they once were. Instead, the Yankees this year are playing second fiddle behind the Mets and Dodgers, demonstrating the traditional balance of power in New York sports, winning titles in front of the Mets.
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge play the same position, and a fierce battle is about to begin this year. However, it would be too early to consider them as the bird and magic of baseball!
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird competed against each other for about a decade throughout the 1980s, and their rivalry was highlighted mainly during their time in the NBA Finals, where their teams frequently faced each other. Now, for the Soto-Judge rivalry to reach that point, the Mets and Yankees need to act as a team to make the playoffs frequently.
Therefore, there is still a long way to go for Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to reach the benchmark while off the field. From this year onwards, there will be plenty of fireworks for fans.
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