A recent Juan Soto interview has reignited controversy after he reflected on how much easier it was to hit when Aaron Judge was behind him in the New York Yankees lineup.
While the remark may have been more analytical than emotional, it didn’t take long for fans to take offense, especially with Soto now donning a Mets uniform.
“It’s definitely different,” Soto told the New York Post. “I had the best hitter in baseball hitting behind me, was getting more attacked and more pitches in the strike zone, fewer intentional walks, and things like that. I was pitched differently last year.”
Soto‘s observation, rooted in his statistical reality, is valid. As of mid-April 2025, he’s drawn just two intentional walks in 18 games with the Mets-matching his total from 157 games with the Yankees in 2024.
Michael Kay calls Soto out
Still, context matters, and Yankees announcer Michael Kay wasn’t buying the innocence of Soto‘s comments. On his KayRod podcast, he ripped into the outfielder, suggesting the remarks were unnecessary and disrespectful to Mets slugger Pete Alonso.
“I am wondering why you would even say this. Where is the pressure coming from, Juan?” Kay asked. “Now, if I’m a Mets fan, not only does it bother me that you seem like you have this wanderlust for a guy that you left, but it’s also kind of a back-handed slap at Pete Alonso.”
Alonso, for his part, has been on a tear. His OPS+ sits at an MVP-level 227-surpassing Aaron Judge’s 223 from last season-yet Soto still isn’t seeing many strikes. Rather than highlighting Alonso‘s dominance, Soto‘s comments came across to some, like Kay, as undermining the very man who is supposed to be his current protection.
Soto‘s nostalgia may be born of frustration, not disloyalty. Adjusting to a new lineup and the different ways pitchers approach him is part of the job. And let’s not forget-he chose the Mets over a nearly identical $760 million offer from the Yankees, opting instead for a $765 million deal with personal perks and a fresh start in Queens.
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