Yankees MVP Aaron Judge reserves high praise for incoming Juan Soto: "He's a generational talent"
The New York Yankees finally pulled off a blockbuster trade for Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge couldn't be more excited.
The former MVP had nothing but high praise for the slugger, who is expected to bat near Judge in the Yankees' lineup.
Judge said about Soto:
"He's a generational talent. His track record and his stats speak for themselves. Everybody in the Yankee Universe is pretty excited to have him on board."
The former San Diego Padres outfielder is a much-needed addition for the Bronx Bombers. After a startlingly poor season, the team was forced to address its flaws on offense, specifically from the left-hand side of the plate.
Hence, they added Soto as well as Alex Verdugo. They also needed outfielders, and have added three of them in those two trades. Trent Grisham was added to the deal by San Diego, which gives the Yankees four outfielders, and Oswaldo Cabrera and Jasson Dominguez, once he recovers.
Soto will undoubtedly be hitting near the top of the lineup, perhaps first, second or third.
Wherever he hits, Judge will be right before or right after him in all likelihood, giving him a running mate and some protection that was missing from the 2023 batting order.
Juan Soto makes Yankees look legitimate
The Yankees are not accustomed to missing the playoffs. Prior to last season, they hadn't done so since 2016, the year before Aaron Judge burst onto the scene. Injuries and poor performances forced the Yankees into an unfamiliar position, though.
Thus, they've decided to get back to their old ways. They added Soto after he became available, and he's one of the highest-profile players available this winter.
They're also in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto and are considered the favorites to land the Japanese pitcher. They will meet him early next week. They have also been linked with Jung Hoo Lee and Cody Bellinger as they look to retool to return to winning ways.