"Aaron Judge has to beg Juan Soto?" - MLB sportscaster slams expectations on Yankees captain to sway superstar free agent's decision
Juan Soto's free agency has been the most talked about topic in baseball in the offseason, with several teams reportedly meeting the All-Star slugger to recruit him after a career-best year with the Yankees.
One of the teams interested in signing him is his former team, the Yankees. However, a fan questioned Yankees captain Aaron Judge for not trying to persuade Soto.
The fan put the question forward to the hosts of The Michael Kay Show, highlighting Judge's comment that he hasn't interacted with Soto since their World Series loss against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Michael Kay didn't like the expectations of fans for Aaron Judge to "beg" Juan Soto.
He said (1:00):
"It doesn't matter (on players trying to recruit Soto). Aaron Judge was just a free agent (in 2022) Anthony. He knows that players recruiting him didn't matter. It was how much the money was gonna be.
"Do you know what the recruitment was? The whole year he played with the Yankees, the love fest from the fans, the way he was treated in that room, he was treated like a God and he had an unbelievable season. There's your recruitment, that's all you have to do. Aaron Judge doesn't have to beg him."
Aaron Judge won his second American League MVP award after a remarkable regular season. Juan Soto, who shared the outfield with Judge in 2024, was also one of the finalists for the award. Michael Kay believed sharing the clubhouse with the two-time MVP in one of the biggest franchises in baseball shouldn't require Judge to convince him to return to the Bronx.
"What could he (Judge) possibly tell him that he (Soto) doesn't know?" Kay continued (2:40). "He just spent seven months with the New York Yankees. They have a Top Flight facility. They have great players, a two-time MVP and he (Judge) has to beg him? No begging involved, It's all about money."
Aaron Judge is giving Juan Soto space in free agency.
Aaron Judge won the MVP title for the second time, the first unanimous title, beating Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and former Yankees teammate Juan Soto.
When asked if Judge has been talking with Soto, the Yankees captain said it's better to give the players space in these situations.
"The best thing is to really give those guys space," Judge said. "I talked to him all season and he knows how we feel about him and I think the most important thing is now let him do his thing with his family, pray about it, talk with people and come to the right decision for him and his family."
Aaron Judge also said he doesn't care if the Yankees pay Juan Soto more than his $360,000,000 deal signed in 2022 as reports suggest Soto's contingent to be adamant on a deal worth more than $500,000,000.