MLB insider claims Mets fans should not be concerned by Juan Soto’s controversial comments about playing ahead of Aaron Judge

Juan Soto and Aaron Judge combined to hit 99 regular-season home runs last year and finished 3rd and 1st in the AL MVP race, respectively.

MLB insider claims Mets fans should not be concerned by Juan Soto’s controversial comments about playing ahead of Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto (Image via MLB)

4-time MLB All-Star Juan Soto made some critical comments this week. While talking about a slight slump in form, the Dominican international expressed that the pitchers had been attacking him differently this year as he was not batting ahead of Aaron Judge this season.

Last season, Soto donned the pinstripes of the New York Yankees and batted ahead of Judge in the Yankee lineup. This combination of him and Judge worked well for the Bronx Bombers as the two of them combined to slug 99 regular season home runs.

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Things have changed a bit this year. After the end of last season, Soto became a free agent and signed with the New York Mets on a staggering 15-year $765 million deal instead of re-signing with the Yankees on a 16-year $760 million deal.

While speaking with Mike Puma of the New York Post on Monday, Soto expressed that he is facing more pitches inside the strike zone. He claimed he was pitched differently last year as he had the “best hitter in baseball” Aaron Judge behind him.

These comments of Soto have not sat well with several Mets fans. Many have called him out for his and urged him to play better. However, MLB insider Jeff Passan believes that the Mets fans should not be bothered or concerned with these words from Soto.

Not at all. Like it’s true he had Aaron Judge sitting behind him last year. He’s got Pete Alonso this year, so that kind of helps as well, and Pete Alonso’s been the second best hitter in Major League Baseball behind Aaron Judge this year, so I’m not sure that’s the reason why Juan Soto struggled.

Jeff Passan said while speaking with Chris Rose

While Passan later admitted that Soto is not playing like the $765 million dollar man, he backed him to get back in form and have a fantastic season. This season so far, Soto has hit 4 home runs in 17 games while batting with a .250 average.

What did Aaron Judge say about these comments from Juan Soto?

Since his mega deal with the New York Mets, the spotlight in MLB has been on Juan Soto. The 26-year-old is expected to play a major role for the team and help them win the World Series again. So far, his career with the Mets has started slow in comparison to the expectations of many. His recent comments of not batting ahead of Aaron Judge have now made him the talk of the industry.

Juan Soto and Aaron Judge
Juan Soto and Aaron Judge (Image via Yardbarker)

A day after these comments from Soto, Judge was asked about his reaction. The New York Yankees captain downplayed this and claimed that he will be fine.

I’m not really going to go back and forth with this. He’s got probably one of the best hitters in the game behind him right now in what [Pete] Alonso is doing…He’s hitting close to .400. He’s driving the ball all over the field, driving guys in. So they’re gonna be good.

Aaron Judge said via SNY

While batting ahead of Judge last year, Soto launched 41 home runs in the regular season. This was the first time in his career that he managed to hit 40 or more home runs during a regular campaign. In the postseason, he hit 4 more home runs and helped the team reach their first World Series since 2009. However, they ended up losing the Fall Classic 4-1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

How is Aaron Judge doing without Juan Soto in the lineup this year?

While Juan Soto has struggled a bit to adjust to his new surroundings, the same cannot be said about his former teammate Aaron Judge. The reigning American League MVP has started the season strong compared to Soto.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto
Aaron Judge and Juan Soto (Image via Imago)

In the opening series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the outfielder hit 4 home runs, out of which 3 came in the same game. He thus became just the 4th Yankees player to have 3 or more 3-homer games.

In the 17 games this season, he has hit 6 home runs while batting with a high average of .381. However, he too has suffered a slight bump and has not hit a home run in his previous 10 games.

Despite him not hitting home runs in a while, the Yankees have picked up some important wins this year. After the first 17 games, they lead the American League East division with a 10-7 record. The Toronto Blue Jays are just 1 game behind them with a 10-6 record.