Yankees coach opens up about Juan Soto-Aaron Judge relationship

For a piece published Monday, MLB writer Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports shared how New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is "deferring" to team captain Aaron Judge early into the 2024 season. 

"He's liking New York a lot," Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas told Thosar about Soto. "He's liking the clubhouse a lot. ... I've been surprised of his personality at a young age. When I met Judge, I saw a similar type of attitude. Even though he's not trying to be that guy, because Judge is team captain. We had a few conversations in spring where (Soto) would go, 'Whatever he says,' given Judge's position on the team."

The San Diego Padres traded Soto to the Yankees in December, largely because the 25-year-old is set to reach free agency this coming fall. Soto reportedly has already become quite comfortable playing for the Yankees, but it's thought he could leave the Bronx Bombers for a team such as the New York Mets in free agency because he could be "the guy" for a club that doesn't have Judge on its roster. 

Rojas indicated he's not yet losing sleep over such concerns. 

"We feel like he could end up here long term," Rojas said about Soto. "In your wish list, you want to keep him forever." 

Across his first 10 games with the Yankees, Soto posted a .333 batting average with one home run, seven RBI and an .873 OPS. Meanwhile, the Yankees won eight of those 10 contests heading into Monday's home series opener versus the 1-9 Miami Marlins. 

"As a player, when you know everybody and you feel confident, you play better," Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres added about Soto. "He feels good with the team and all the boys. I'm just really happy for him. He's capable of doing really special things. And in the lineup with everybody, he's going to help us go where we want to go."

The bidding for Soto's services could "start at $500M" assuming he doesn't give the Yankees any type of hometown discount before he hits the open market. 

Perhaps helping the Yankees win their first World Series since 2009 could cause Soto to leave even a few million dollars on the table and ink a new deal with the storied franchise before Christmas Day.