Juan Soto’s introduction to the New York Yankees started with a phone call from Captain Judge in December. Fast forward a few months, and the duo has become known for their undeniable ‘bromance’, marked by mutual respect, playful banter, and unwavering support for one another. The Yankees haven’t seen the best time this season, but Aaron Judge and Soto bring that lightness and spirit around. In fact, the game on Tuesday they had against the Chicago White Sox, didn’t start on the right foot!

However, Aaron Judge had a hunch that Soto could do something spectacular, and that Soto did. He was on absolute fire and scored a career-high! But later Soto and Judge even had a banter and disagreement over the ‘greatest hitter’ in baseball. Judge said that Soto deserved the title, while Soto insisted that his captain was the one truly worthy of such a distinction.

Aaron Judge gives the biggest compliment to Juan Soto!

Juan Soto compelled Aaron Judge to give him possibly one of the best compliments he could get. At the post-game interview on Tuesday, Aaron Judge deemed Soto as the greatest hitter in baseball! Aaron Judge said, “I got my money on Juan in that situation. He did what he did and passed the baton and got it to the next guy. That’s who he is. That’s why he’s the greatest hitter in the game. If you leave a pitch in the zone, he’ll do damage, but if you don’t throw to him, he’ll let the next guy do his thing.” Soto was flattered, but he was in disagreement and instead deemed Captain Aaron to be the best hitter in the game.

“I call him the greatest hitter in the world. Look at his numbers. He’s just unbelievable. He makes my job easier. He makes my plate appearances better because when you know you are hitting in front of that guy, you are going to get pitches,” said Soto. But while banter is adorable, Aaron Judge isn’t wrong, because Soto has been undeniably helpful for the team. On Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox, he helped the New York Yankees bounce back after a rather disappointing loss in the series opener. The game was nothing short of spectacular — Juan Soto at just 25 years old, hit three home runs, marking his first career three-homer game in the big leagues. However, it was not all so easy for Soto!

The Dominican had a rough beginning to the game. Juan Soto went back to the dugout after grounding out against Jonathan Cannon in his first at-bat. However, Soto was determined to do his best, and Captain Judge spotted Soto taking practice swings in the dugout after his first-inning failure. Soto then went back to hit two home runs. Then Aaron Judge joked and told the slugger after his second homer, “I was kind of joking with him. …That’s all it takes, a couple dry swings, and you hit a couple homers? And he did it a third time.” Well, some predictions do come true! 

Judge is leading the charts for home runs this season for sure, but Soto isn’t too far behind. Judge has 42 dingers and Soto is fifth with 33 homers. But while competition is there, their relationship is refreshing to most fans. This dynamics between them might even help the team clench Soto back during the off-season!

Could Aaron Judge be the key to keeping Juan Soto with the Yankees?

Juan Soto is about to ignite a major bidding war this offseason. With an exciting season under his belt and MVP talk heating up, all while in the final year of his contract, there will be plenty of factors shaping his next move. There are quite a few teams who seem to be interested, like the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, and even the Toronto Blue Jays. But having said that, the Yankees seem to have an edge that others don’t and that might steer Soto their way. 

Dave Lennon, the SNY analyst, thinks that two things could steer Soto’s decision, and that is money of course, and Aaron Judge. Money and Aaron Judge are both the criteria that Yankees seem to have at the moment and it could be what makes Soto stay back. Lennon said, “The money’s going to be there wherever. I have to think that hitting next to Judge has to be an attraction there. If the money is all similar, I mean he’s not having a career year for nothing, and Judge is a big help to that I think.”

While these won’t be the only criteria in this free agency frenzy, these two criteria can surely give the New York Yankees an edge over the other teams. Many teams have money but a prestigious player like Aaron Judge to pair up with Soto – not everyone has that! This is what seemingly will give the Yankees the leg up in this fight. In fact, their manager Aaron Boone talked highly of the duo and said, “I can’t imagine a tandem being more dominant than they’ve been all season long.” And it’s true, the Yankees haven’t seen this kind of performance from teammates since 1927 when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were at their peak. Right now, Aaron Judge is in one of the best seasons ever for a Yankee, with a wRC+ of 219, and Soto isn’t far behind at 192.

Ever since 2000, only ten players have managed a wRC+ of 192 or higher in a single season, and listen to this – never have two of them been on the same team at the same time! This is more the reason for the team to keep Soto back. Moreover, the relationship, the bromance that Juan Soto and Aaron Judge have is seen time and again, as cited above. So given that, Soto being with the Yankees makes more sense for Soto at this moment