Aaron Judge slammed for 'odd' approach to Juan Soto free agency as ex-Met claims captain could cost Yankees in race for star

Aaron Judge has been urged to measurement up to the sheet this offseason arsenic the New York Yankees people re-signing Juan Soto. 

Soto is presently a escaped cause aft spending past twelvemonth with the Yankees, who suffered decision successful the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, with arsenic galore arsenic 5 big-market teams are believed to beryllium successful the moving to motion him. 

The Yankees are believed to person upped their connection this week successful a determination to fend disconnected the contention and bring the left-hander backmost to the Bronx. 

But prima slugger Judge is playing an highly passive relation successful his team's efforts, revealing helium wasn't turning connected the charm discourtesy this offseason. 

'I deliberation the champion happening is to springiness those guys space,' Judge said of Soto past week. 'I talked to him each season. He knows however we consciousness astir him. The astir important happening is to fto him bash his thing... and travel to the close determination for him and his family.'

Yet, Judge, who was named the Yankees' 16th skipper aft inking a nine-year, $360-million declaration successful December 2022 pursuing his AL record-breaking season, was slammed for his approach. 

Former MLB reliever, Trevor May, who pitched for the Yankees' cross-town rivals the Mets from 2021 to 2022, questioned the AL MVP's tactics. 

'But if you privation him, sometimes you conscionable person to flex that musculus a spot due to the fact that you're Aaron Judge, man,' May said connected his podcast, Foul Territory. 

'You are the LeBron James of the crippled close now, truthful conscionable beryllium him and if that helps you and you get him that's each that matters astatine the extremity of the day. It is absorbing and benignant of of unusual that helium was precise adamant astir his not talking to him, which seemed a small retired of spot with the situation.' 

Judge has made it wide that helium wants Soto backmost successful Pinstripes adjacent play aft the brace led the Yankees to a a 94-68 grounds and the team's archetypal travel to the World Series since 2009.

The 6-foot-7 slugger besides met with proprietor Hal Steinbrenner successful Tampa this offseason to accent the value of signing his chap outfielder. 

Yet, May inactive insisted that Judge needed to beryllium much assertive successful his pursuit of the Dominican star.

'What bash we cognize astir Aaron Judge?' said May, who spent a bulk of his vocation with the Twins. 'He is not the astir in-your-face, beardown personality. I-am-going-to-insert-myself-into-this-situation guy. That doesn't look similar thing he's comfy oregon likes doing.

'I recognize that comes with the skipper tag. That's conscionable what it feels similar to me. He's either lying done his teeth, which I don't deliberation he'd do. He's not a feline that would blatantly say, 'I did not telephone him' and really called him. He would creation astir it a small spot more.'

The Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Mets are believed to beryllium successful the hunt for Soto alongside the Bronx Bombers. 

'The worst happening that could person happened for this dialog was them losing this World Series and getting this adjacent due to the fact that it astir makes Juan Soto — similar you person to, you person nary prime but to spell get him,' May added of the Yankees. 

'And if you don't it's going to consciousness similar the entity is falling, adjacent though … it's not similar they can't physique a bully squad and adhd different pieces that makes them a part victor and spell back. 

'But it would consciousness that mode … this waiting game, there's going to beryllium a batch of anxiousness gathering implicit clip and if they bash suffer him and this disapproval of the instrumentality volition beryllium loud, agelong and hard to ignore. They are stuck down a stone and a hard place. But if it does happen, the clouds rotation retired and the prima is backmost out… I haven't seen a genuinely George-version of Hal. It would beryllium chill to spot that for 1 offseason.' 

But the Yankees are reportedly not going down without a fight. 

In caller days past season's World Series finalists are said to person upgraded their archetypal bid to bring Soto backmost successful 2025 and beat the Mets to his signature, contempt precocious staging calls with prima escaped cause starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried among others.

Regardless, Soto - who deed 41 location runs, posted a .989 OPS and finished 3rd successful the MVP voting past play - remains their apical people by immoderate region with Yankees officials solely focused connected re-signing him.

No offers person yet been made to Burnes oregon Fried, who are apt seen arsenic backup options should the 26-year-old opt to spell elsewhere.