“Stick to basketball” – Ex-NFL star FIRES back at Stephen A. Smith after sportscaster BLAMES Aaron Judge for Yankees losing out on Juan Soto
Stephen A. Smith claimed that Juan Soto chose the Mets over the Yankees after seeing the poor performances of Aaron Judge in the postseason.
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Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Stephen A. Smith (Image via NY Times/People)
In the past few days, the $765,000,000 deal of Juan Soto with the New York Mets has been the main talking point. On Tuesday, sportscaster Stephen A. Smith shared his reaction regarding this deal and blamed Aaron Judge for the New York Yankees losing out on Soto. An ex-NFL star has now fired back at Smith.
At the First Take show, Smith claimed that he loves Judge. However, he later went on to attack him. The analyst boldly claimed that Judge’s poor performances in the 2024 postseason were the reason why Soto decided to join the Mets instead of re-signing with the Yankees.
After an impressive showing in the regular season where he hit 58 home runs, Judge struggled in the postseason. The Yankee captain batted with a .184 average in 14 games and struck out swinging 20 times.
On Wednesday, Smith once again spoke on this matter. While discussing Soto’s huge contract with the Mets along with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, the 57-year-old commented on Judge’s performances in the postseason and compared him to other stars.
"You watched Aaron Judge come up so small in the heat of that competition, is that what you want to stick with for years to come?" ? @stephenasmith on why Juan Soto left the Yankees for the Mets ? pic.twitter.com/bMZPq9yQzE
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 11, 2024
Former Kansas City Chiefs star, and lifelong Yankees fan Gehrig Dieter did not like these comments from Smith. He would attack him on X and claim that Soto joined the Mets because they offered him more money.
Stick to basketball SAS. Soto went to the Mets for the money and that’s the only reason.
Gehrig Dieter wrote on X
Stick to basketball SAS. Soto went to the Mets for the money and that’s the only reason. https://t.co/D2X0m9VKiz
— Gehrig Dieter (@GehrigDieter) December 11, 2024
The Yankees had offered a 16-year $760 million deal, $5 million short of what the Mets offered. After penning down his contract, Soto will have an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $51 million, making him one of the highest-paid players in the league.
Gehrig Dieter drops hot take regarding Juan Soto after departure from Yankees
The departure of Juan Soto has left a huge void in the lineup of the New York Yankees. The 27-time World Series winners are now working on a Plan B. In the midst of this, Gehrig Dieter has dropped a hot take regarding Soto.
As the Yankees continue to look for a replacement, the name of Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros has emerged. Just like Soto last year, Tucker is in the final year of his contract. So the Astros have expressed interest in trading him instead of losing out for free.
The Yankees are reported to be one of the teams who are exploring Tucker. While reacting to his development on X, Dieter claimed that Tucker is a better “all round” player than Soto.
my hot take is Kyle Tucker better all around player than Juan Soto.
Gehrig Dieter wrote on X
??my hot take is Kyle Tucker better all around player than Juan Soto https://t.co/dQhvFJfyOM
— Gehrig Dieter (@GehrigDieter) December 11, 2024
As per MLB insider Jack Curry, the Yankees will “try very hard” to land Tucker. Apart from him, the team has also shown interest in Cody Bellinger. However, as of now, the team has not made any significant moves regarding these two players.
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Vinay Dave
(1764 Articles Published)