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Insider expands on Yankees' Aaron Judge, Juan Soto salary report
MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported last week that Yankees captain Aaron Judge wouldn't care about being the second-highest-paid player on the team if it meant holding onto All-Star outfielder Juan Soto.
On Thursday, Heyman offered an update on that take, noting that Judge gave the Yankees somewhat of a hometown discount when he signed a nine-year, $360M deal to stay with the organization in December 2022 amid interest from the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
Additionally, Heyman alluded that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen may or may not have had a handshake agreement with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner regarding Judge's future roughly two years ago. No such pact exists regarding Soto, who is widely expected to be on the Mets' radar this coming fall.
Heyman also pointed out that Judge turned 32 this past spring, while Soto will be just 26 when he signs his next contract.
"Age plays," Heyman explained. "(Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher) Yoshinobu Yamamoto, like Soto, just 25, got $325M with no MLB experience (plus a $50.6M posting fee was paid). Every big-market team was in, and the Phillies reportedly were going even higher."
Heyman insisted that Judge "doesn’t care much about money and gets the importance of Soto for the team." That shouldn't be undersold, considering it's no secret that Judge has warmly embraced everything that comes with being the captain and face of MLB's most storied franchise.
With all of that said, there remains no indication Soto will sign an extension with the Yankees before he's eligible to reach free agency shortly after the World Series. Meanwhile, Steinbrenner raised alarms among Yankees fans when he said this past spring that the club's payroll is "not sustainable" due to luxury-tax penalties.
Most MLB reporters and analysts expect Soto to want to reset the market regardless of whether or not he earns a championship ring with the Yankees this fall.
As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the first-place Yankees (75-53) second among the betting favorites at +550 odds to win the 2024 World Series. Perhaps Soto helping the Bronx Bombers do what they haven't done since 2009 would convince him to follow in Judge's footsteps and keep Steinbrenner from having to enter a bidding war come November.
More must-reads:
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Yankees manager provides major update on Aaron Judge's injury
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge missed Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies with an elbow injury, and the slugger is now headed to the injured list. The Yankees fell 9-4 to the Phillies on Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., which marked their third consecutive loss. Judge played in Friday night's 12-5 loss to Philadelphia, but Aaron Boone announced before Saturday's game that Judge was dealing with an "elbow issue" and would sit out. Following his team's latest loss, Boone shared some new information about Judge's injury. Judge has been diagnosed with a flexor strain, but the Yankees believe he can return in less than two weeks. When Judge returns to the lineup, Boone said it will initially be as a designated hitter. Judge is having an outstanding season. He entered Saturday batting .342, which is the best mark in baseball. The reigning American League MVP has 37 home runs, 85 RBI and a 1.160 OPS. The Yankees are now six games behind the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays and fighting to remain atop the wild-card race. It goes without saying that they are hopeful Judge will be able to return as soon as possible.
Green Bay Packers 3rd Year Receiver Turning Heads At Training Camp
The Green Bay Packers have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. A big reason for this is their wide receiver room. For the past three seasons, they have relied on rookies and second-year players to carry the load on offense from a pass-catching perspective. However, that has led to some inconsistent play. Last year, drops were a huge issue, especially for former fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks. He was able to get open but would drop the ball in key moments. Wicks is determined to change the narrative and is already turning heads in training camp. Green Bay Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks Looking Good Wicks was the star of the 2-minute drill during Friday’s training camp practice. He found a hole in the zone and ran the post route. Quarterback Jordan Love saw him immediately and unloaded a long ball. The former Virginia receiver was all alone and caught a 49-yard touchdown pass to end the drill. This was one of the many great plays Wicks made throughout the practice. He was asked about the play after the practice. “I knew I had the post,” Wicks said. “I had a man on me. I released, ran full speed. I knew X was over the top. So I stemmed out a little bit and broke flat across. It was a runaway, and J-Love gave me the ball and I ran under it, and that was all from there.” This is great news for the Green Bay Packers. Drops can often be attributed to a lack of confidence. They can snowball. Once a player drops one pass, it can snowball into more drops. The same can be said about catches. Once a player gets confidence, it can be hard to stop. If Dontayvion Wicks has gotten his confidence, the league should watch out. No Problems Getting Open Wicks had no problems getting open last year. According to ESPN Analytics, he was open on 84% of his routes, thanks to a quick burst off the snap and his ability to find gaps in the zone. However, getting open doesn’t matter if a player can’t bring in the ball. The Green Bay Packers hope this is the start of a new player in 2025. Matthew Golden has also looked good in training camp, and Jayden Reed has vowed to drop fewer passes as well in 2025. If that trio can haul in passes, this offense could be one of the best in the league. Final Thoughts We always have to be cautious about training camp news. It can sometimes point to what will happen in the season, but not always. However, this seems like a step in the right direction for the Green Bay Packers. If Wicks gains confidence now, that should carry over into the season.
Important trade stalls as Maple Leafs dangle bottom-six forward
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Jalen Williams fires back at critics who call him 'corny'
Jalen Williams does not appreciate the suggestion that he is a cornball. The Oklahoma City star Williams fired back at his critics in an Instagram comment this week. Williams was asked by a user about what he would say to those labeling him as “corny.” “tbh the same people calling me corny couldn’t hold my water in real life,” said Williams. “prolly would ask for a selfie if we was face to face.” For context, the 24-year-old Williams made headlines this week by recreating an iconic photograph of Kobe Bryant. Williams recently underwent surgery on his right wrist and posed in the style of the famous 1999 photo of Bryant at the free throw line wearing pajama bottoms and a large cast on his wrist. The “corny” label is usually given to NBA players who are seen as acting in an inauthentic way, especially to gain respect on social media. That becomes particularly so whenever they involve the late Bryant (with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum also drawing “corny” criticisms in the past for invoking Bryant in his antics). Williams can probably do without the clout-chasing at this point since he has already very much arrived as an NBA player in his own regard. The ex-lottery pick was an All-Star, an All-NBA selection and an All-Defensive selection this past season. He then went on to win the NBA championship with the Thunder and was among several core OKC players who got rewarded with rich extensions as a result. That said, Williams is sometimes seen as a third fiddle with the Thunder behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren. As a result, he tends to gravitate toward attention-grabbing stunts, and he does not care if he is labeled “corny” because of them.
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