When the New York Yankees lost Juan Soto to the crosstown rivals, it pinched the pinstriped fans. So much so that the first time he made it to the Bronx, the boos rained down on him. But Soto was there in the New York Yankees, so it’s not like he has been a cornerstone player for the team. So why did it hurt? It’s because the reality is: without Juan Soto, fans knew that the Yankees’ 2025 postseason would be a whole lot tougher.

This is because Aaron Judge in the regular season and he in the postseason are a different ballgame. From a slump last season to injury now, Judge falters when October games happen. This time, he is back in the right field after weeks of DH duty, but his return has been lukewarm at best. At his game against the Blue Jays, his bat still changed the game, and his highlight diving grab made headlines on Saturday’s 403 win. But his arm is not what it used to be. His once 90 mph throw from the right is now just clocking in at just 70!

And of course, the Jays noticed it, and they ran on him early and often. This is something even the rest of the teams that the Yanks have to face will follow suit with. Boone is still by his captain’s side, saying Judge’s throw is good, and he will continue to talk with him and Giancarlo Stanton about how much outfield they can handle. But even then, without Soto, insiders are raising eyebrows on the Yanks.

Brendan Kuty of The Athletic put it: “This time, there will be no Juan Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton can’t do it all by himself. The Yankees need Aaron Judge to put up Aaron Judge numbers in the postseason. They need him to author major moments and to be the catalyst that he largely hasn’t been throughout his postseason career.” And this is the hard-hitting truth.

Because Judge’s postseason track record isn’t nearly as potent as his regular season. In 58 playoff games, he is batting just .205 with an .836 OPS, and last year was no different. The Yankees front office is saying he will be healed enough to play the outfield full-time in October, but expectation and guarantee are different.

Last season, with Judge’s slump, it was Juan Soto who had taken over, along with Giancarlo Stanton. Also, given that the Yankees even made the World Series last season after 2009, it makes you wonder, right? Maybe it was Juan Soto being there that made the difference. For now, the Yanks bet on Judge’s health, and that’s not sitting well with insiders and fans. It remains to see if the decision was wise or just wishful thinking.

Yankees Expose Max Scherzer’s Pitch Tipping!

The New York Yankees didn’t just win the series against the Blue Jays—they did it with a little bit of old-school gamesmanship. So in the last game, New York noticed something about Max Scherzer that many might have missed—he was tipping his pitches. According to Bob Klapisch of , Scherzer’s glove position in the stretch made it easy to see what was coming. So once the Yanks caught on to that, they wasted no time passing that info forward. Then Cody Bellinger was seen spreading his arms, and it was a clear sign for a changeup. First to Judge and then Judge to Ben Rice. Moments later, Rice smashed a home run, and that helped get that win.

When later asked about it, Bellinger didn’t even try to play it out. He said, “That is correct,” to Klapisch when asked if the signals were about Scherzer’s changeup. He also said, “That’s what was happening. We talk about it pregame, and you just go out there and look for it. If you see it, then you obviously do what you can.” And well, now for the Yankees, they simply took advantage of the game—and there was nothing illegal about it. As long as there were no electronics involved and this practice is hardly frowned upon by anyone. This is because it is widely used in MLB.

Moreover, now with the AL East up for grabs, the New York Yankees simply won’t let go of chances like this. What do you think?