Stephen A. Smith BLAMES Aaron Judge’s poor performances in postseason as reason for NY Yankees losing out on Juan Soto
Stephen A. Smith has blamed Aaron Judge's performances in the 2024 postseason as a reason for Juan Soto not choosing the NY Yankees.
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Stephen A. Smith, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge (Image via Variety/Yardbarker)
The sweepstakes for Juan Soto came to an end on Sunday night, with the New York Mets emerging as winners. The rivals of the New York Yankees landed Soto on a massive 15-year $765 million deal. Top sportscaster Stephen A. Smith has now blamed Aaron Judge for the Yankees losing out the race for Soto.
The final race for Soto came down between the two New York clubs. In the end, Soto chose the Mets over the 16-year $760 million deal with the Yankees. While there have been some wild rumors suggesting why he chose the Mets over the Yankees, Smith has blamed the performances of his former teammate Judge for this decision.
While reacting to the news of Soto, Smith spoke about Judge’s poor performances in the 2024 postseason. The Yankees captain did not have a good time at the plate in the playoffs and struggled a lot.
He finished the postseason while batting with an average of .184 and had just 3 home runs and 9 RBI. He struck out 20 times during the 14 games. On top of that, he had a massive error in Game 5 of the World Series, which led to the Yankees’ collapse against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The people that I blame the most is Hal Steinbrenner… the other thing that I think is inescapable Shannon and I have I take no joy in saying this because I love him – Aaron Judge when you come up that small in the postseason, a superstar like Juan Soto notices because he certainly did it… If Aaron Judge had shown up like the stud he is in a regular season and handled his business in the postseason, the Yankees may very well be champions and Juan Soto may not have left.
Stephen A. Smith said on First Take
In the regular season, Judge once again crossed the 50-home run mark. The slugger smashed 58 home runs and had 144 RBI, which saw him being named a Silver Slugger and the AL Hank Aaron Award winner. He ultimately picked up his second AL MVP award in November.
Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman sends message to Juan Soto after record-breaking deal with Mets
The Juan Soto $765 million deal with the New York Mets has caused a massive stir on social media. The New York Yankees fans have been voicing their displeasure on the internet. In the midst of this, Yankee pitcher Marcus Stroman has sent a message to Soto after his deal.
The pitcher took to his social media account and congratulated the 4-time All-Star for his record-breaking contract. He called it “deserving” and wished him the best for his future.
Shoutout to my brother @JuanSoto25_. Beyond deserving. Generational talent. Wishing you and your family all the best! Thankful I had the opportunity to compete with you!
Marcus Stroman wrote on Instagram
Marcus Stroman with a message to Juan Soto
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) December 9, 2024
(via IG/stroman) pic.twitter.com/hyQCkEf04l
The Yankees have now started working on Plan B after failing to land Soto. Several top free agents, such as Christian Walker, Cody Bellinger, and Kyle Tucker, have been linked with a move to the Yankees. It remains to be seen whom they pick up to fill out the void left by Soto’s move to the Mets.
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Vinay Dave
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