In 2024, watching Aaron Judge and Juan Soto together feels special—and another pairing like them comes to mind: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Judge and Soto have now been deemed by many as the most powerful batting partners. It’s been a magical time for the New York Yankees, watching the duo shine. But as Soto’s free agency approaches, the buzz of whether he would want to stay in New York and be second fiddle to Aaron Judge or move to go to another team grows ever so louder.

Yankee fans sure do want Soto around, and you can often hear, ‘Please stay Soto’ chants during the games. And despite popular belief that Soto isn’t thrilled to be in pinstripes, he has carved his role in the team. Jason Dominguez talked about how Soto inspires young players and is shining in his light. Well, we saw many pairings, from Ruth and Gehrig to even Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, all in Yankees— so, what makes this different?

Juan Soto emerges as a go-to mentor for young Yankees

Aaron Judge is the captain, a veteran the youngsters look up to. But it’s not always that they go up to him and talk it out—respect, after all. Soto is relatively young and is always making strides at the game, so, young players do end up reaching out to him more. Jasson Dominguez said, “Very easy guy to talk to about anything. He’s unbelievable. He’ll talk to me. You can go and ask him. He’s very open.” Baseball is not what they talk about all the time; creating a solid team vibe and making it easier for young players to thrive. 

Moreover, Juan Soto has been an inspiration for Jasson Dominguez. The 21-year-old noted he has been soaking up all that Soto has to offer ever since he joined the team. Mostly, Soto’s ability to control the strike zone is something Jasson hopes he can achieve one day. Dominguez said to Athletic about Soto, “He’s just natural. I’ve been getting better at that, but I had to work for it.” There were more talks about how Soto let the young players stay during his practice sessions; not just that, he even explained why he did a move, or an exercise—going above and beyond.

Can Soto make a move to the Boston Red Sox?

Well, Juan Soto is free to do what he pleases when the free agency rolls in. But will he give up the New York Yankees to go elsewhere? If yes, will it be money that makes the call or the fact that he doesn’t want to be maybe a second fiddle? While we did find out that he is settled in well with the team, what’s saying the constant comparison with Judge and now Soto can not match up, won’t play in his head?

This might be a major deal-breaker for the Yankees holding on to Soto. Meanwhile, the speculations have already started that the Red Sox may be interested in clenching Soto when he hits the free agency. That’s what MLB insider Jeff Passan thinks, as he appeared on the “Underdog MLB with Jared Carrabis” podcast. Although MLB insider Jared Carrabis is not buying the fact that a team like the Red Sox, who has had a history of being not so open with the deal, spend the projected $500 million on Soto’s contract, even co-host and MLB analyst Tyler Milliken saw some chance that Soto might just up and leave.

Tyler said, “But when you know the next 10 or 15 years of your career you’re going to be somewhere, and this is more likely than not where your legacy is going to be etched, does it mean something to be that guy? If he came here to Boston [Red Sox], he would be that guy.” But there are serious doubts that Soto would do that since he has built a rapport at the New York Yankees and with Aaron Judge. Ultimately, only time can tell what happens. Also, he’s changing what leadership means by proving it’s not just about being the captain but being an inspiration for the new players to learn from.

What do you think about Soto and his free agency? Let us know below.