Losing Juan Soto this year was a huge blow for the New York Yankees. The guy came in last season and immediately proved why he’s one of the best in the game, and the Yankees thought they had him locked down. But, of course, the baseball gods had other plans.

Soto ended up as a Met with the biggest contract ever—talk about a twist! But the Yankees didn’t just sit around licking their wounds. Nope, they made moves. They brought in Paul Goldschmidt, Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and a whole bunch of other talent. After that tough World Series loss to the Dodgers, it’s clear: the Yankees are hell-bent on making sure this year is different. And guess what? The captain’s on the same page.

The Yankees are ready, and their captain’s words prove it

Aaron Judge, Yankees’ captain, cleared up a lot of our burning questions in a recent press conference. Judge acknowledged that this year the team will be coming in “hungry” for the win. The captain said, “A lot of different pieces have come in. We start with Bellinger, a guy that can play 3, 4, 5, or 6 different positions for us. Play all over the field. We got Goldschmidt, who is probably one of the top 10 hitters in the game for the past 10 years.” 

“He is going to bring a different side of the game to us as first base. Jazz has been so dynamic with us and explosive. It’s going to be exciting. Some new arms, especially Max Fried.” The judge added that he is excited that Fried is now in pinstripes and is looking forward to the lineup. Even though it is hard to replace a guy like Juan Soto, the Yanks have done a pretty good job. Although the partnership was short-lived, Judge and Soto had one of the best dynamics in the game.

The one-year duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto was nothing short of legendary

With Judge cranking out 58 home runs and Soto adding 41 of his own, they became just the third set of Yankees teammates to hit 40+ homers in a season, joining the ranks of the iconic Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig (1927, ’30, ’31) and the legendary Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris (1961).

But they didn’t stop there. Judge’s 133 walks and Soto’s 129 walks made them the first-ever teammates in MLB history to hit at least 40 homers and walk 120 times in a single season. Talk about patience at the plate! And if you needed any more evidence of their incredible season, Judge took home the American League MVP award (unanimously, no less).

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While Soto, who delivered the iconic pennant-winning homer that carried the Yankees to the World Series, finished third. But now? Well, now they’re crosstown rivals. Their new teams are just about eight miles apart, separated by the East River, and it’s going to take a little getting used to seeing Soto in Mets orange and blue.