Yankees analyst asserts Juan Soto, Aaron Judge "doesn't have the rivalry Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter had," pointing seamless fit with Bronx Bombers
Juan Soto is expected to make a decision on his future this week and one analyst has compared his partnership with Aaron Judge to Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter two decades ago. When the Yankees acquired Rodriguez in 2004, he was expected to be their biggest signing since Babe Ruth. However, his rivalry with Jeter, coupled with his controversy surrounding the use od PEDs tarnished his legacy. Speaking on popular podcast Pinstripe Territory, Yankees analyst Derek Levandowski said Soto could be the player that Rodriguez failed to be if he joins the Yankees:
"If Soto keeps his head on straight, more than A-Rod did... he obviously doesn't have the same kind of rivalry (with Judge) that Jeter and A-Rod had... they seem to be buddies.
"There's something to be said about a tandem too... tandems win. And he's got a chance to be what A-Rod could have been and should have been, which was the biggest acquisition since Babe Ruth."
Levandowski pointed out that Juan Soto has had a smilar career arc to what Alex Rodriguez had before he joined the New York Yankees. Rodriguez started his career with the Seattle Mariners and went on to join the Texas Rangers on a record deal before being traded to the Yankees. Similarly, Soto has been with the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres on big deals before being traded to the Yankees.
However, Levandowski beleives that when we are talking about a long-term deal, Soto needs to take into consideration more than his salary. For example, New York has the highest population of Dominicans in the country, which would mean a huge fan base. Moreover, the Yankees have the highest crowd attendance in the MLB, while the Mets have the 17th highest.
Finally, Juan Soto's partnership and camaraderie with Aaron Judge makes him the perfect fit for the New York side. They have already proved how good they are together during their World Series run last year. This makes the Yankees a great fit for Soto but only time will tell if he signs with them in the near future.
MLB insider predicts mega contract for Juan Soto worth over $600 million
MLB insider Jon Heyman has given his latest prediction on the Juan Soto sweepstakes, saying that a 14-year, $630 million deal is what he expects the Dominican to sign. This would be a higher value that Shohei Ohtani's $700 million contract with the Dodgers, since most of it is deferred to the future.
However, with five big-market teams in pursuit of Soto, nothing is certain yet. It is possible that more than one team offers the amount predicted, which would drive up the value even more.