How much influence will New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge have on Juan Soto’s free agency decision? Nobody knows for sure, but it could go beyond their on-field production of one season in pinstripes.
And if Judge’s offseason efforts are to be assessed — he told reporters last week he hasn’t talked to Soto since the end of the World Series on Oct. 30 — he isn’t doing enough, two former Yankees believe.
Upon hearing Judge’s comments about a lack of communication, ex-third baseman Todd Frazier and ex-catcher Erik Kratz expressed disappointment on Monday’s “Foul Territory,” saying Judge should be a more central part of the Yankees’ Soto negotiations.
“They should bring Judge back into a meeting,” Frazier said. “They should do everything possible to get this guy to go to the Yankees. … I’d be calling every day. ‘Hey, can we talk again? What do you got going on?’ … I’m not saying it’s wrong what he’s doing, but I think, I would do a little bit more. I would try at least once. I wouldn’t berate him and hound him as much, but you know … it’s give him a text, ‘Yankees?’ ‘Hey, the Boogie Down still loves you.’
According to NJ Advance Media’s Bob Klapisch, via a person with knowledge, the Yankees were “encouraged” by their meeting on Nov. 18, though owner Hal Steinbrenner told reporters days later that he had “no idea” where the Yankees stand.
Kratz expected more from Judge this offseason, going as far as to question the strength of the relationship, though he acknowledged that might be their style on business decisions.
“I don’t want to go too far into like, maybe they didn’t connect over the year. If somebody’s my boy, I am hounding him to stay with my team,” Kratz said. “Sure. I am hounding him to be like, ‘Hey, we can’t screw this up.’ And sometimes when guys come over for one year, they don’t always make that connection for one season.
“Obviously, I’m going so far into it here, I’m not, you know, I could be stepping out of bounds by saying that, but I would like somebody to sell me on ‘stay with a team,’ but I also don’t think that’s what he’s looking for. I don’t think that’s what Juan’s necessarily looking for.
The truth is that nobody knows Soto’s preferences. Reporting around Soto’s free agency suggests that the 26-year-old will be looking for the biggest payday, in terms of length of deal and money. Soto declining a 15-year $440 million deal in 2022 with the Washington Nationals and Scott Boras as his agent add to that belief. His next deal is likely to be for at least 13 years and $600 million.
A person with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media’s Randy Miller on Monday that Soto has received first offers from the Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. Many expect Soto to sign around the Winter Meetings on Dec. 9-12.
Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs last year with the Yankees, while posting a .288/.419/.569 slash line with 109 RBIs. He had a 178 OPS+.
