Juan Soto deserting the Yankees to join the Mets got enough media attention. The rivalries of the two New York teams in MLB—the Yankees and Mets, are legendary. Now, with Soto having switched his side, 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 of their rivalry. After playing together in 2024, it’s also the time to witness their greatness against each other. So will their rivalry gain a cult status, something like the Bird and Magic rivalry?

The legendary rivalry between the NBA legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is second to none and was one of the primary reasons why fans showed up for the duel between the Lakers and Celtics. Now, with the two top brands clashing with each other in MLB, expecting a Magic and Bird-like rivalry is not an exaggeration. So why Soto and Judge’s rivalry is getting the most attention off late? What does it mean for the New York teams?

Aaron Judge vs. Juan Soto: Brewing a great rivalry

Yes, the Soto-Judge rivalry has all the right ingredients to be a great rivalry. How? Well, Soto and Judge are still considered friends, and Judge had a high word about Soto after he switched sides. However, Judge’s remarks about how he failed to connect with Soto during the latter’s free agency days indicate otherwise. As per a tweet by Bryan Hoch, “Aaron Judge said that he hasn’t spoken to Juan Soto, giving him space during free agency. Judge said that he has met with Hal Steinbrenner to discuss Soto and other moves the team can make.”

Though Judge recently said that he would give Soto the space to navigate free agency, the 32-year-old had reached out to his former teammate in the hopes that he would sway his decision, and they will likely continue to chase a title in the Bronx. But as luck would have it, Soto has reportedly signed the 15-year, $765 million contract with the belief that the Mets are better suited to win than any other club that pursued him in free agency- including the Yankees.

And no brownie points for guessing that such a statement from the 26-year-old would attract a reply from Judge. He said, “That’s his opinion. He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him.” Well, it doesn’t exactly take a genius here to figure out that things may not be ideal between the two.

A few days after this, MLB insider C-Mac said, “I don’t want to go as far as to say bad blood – but that relationship doesn’t feel great to me.” A great rivalry starts when one throws a competition to another! Similar vibe here. 

“The Aaron Judge-Juan Soto rivalry will be the biggest in New York baseball history,” said MLB insider Sal Licata. Why not? Apart from Shohei Ohtani representing the Dodgers, the other two biggest names in MLB—Soto and Judge are representing the two sides of New York.

Now that the two are in different clubs, the Yankees are getting ready to get their first games in Spring Training and will officially begin the 2025 season when they take on the Tampa Bay Rays, and Aaron Judge knows that the team needs to improve in order to compensate 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.”

Till last year, Soto and Judge have played almost the same number of games, with 936 and 993 games, respectively. While Judge amassed 1,026 Homers, Soto stands with 934, which proves their similar influence in the game. While Juan Soto is on the receiving end of the Yankees fans since he defected from the team, the Mets are standing tall, posing as the winner in poaching him. 

The balance of power is tilted

So, the bad blood is already flowing between the fans. The Yankees have all moved away from the George Steinbrenner era, and now they are not in command as before. Rather, the Yankees this year are playing a third fiddle behind the Mets and Dodgers, which shows the traditional balance of power in New York sports, getting titled towards the Mets. 

Juan Soto and Aaron Judge play in the same position, and a fierce battle is about to start this year. However, it would be too early to consider them as the Baseball’s Bird and Magic! Magic Johnson and Larry Bird competed against each other for roughly a decade throughout the 1980s, with their rivalry primarily highlighted during their time in the NBA Finals, where their teams frequently met each other. Now for the Soto-Judge rivalry to reach there, the Mets and Yankees need to perform as a team to get into the playoffs frequently. 

Thus, a major road still needs to be covered for Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to touch the benchmark while offering enough fireworks for the fans, starting this year.

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