Judge And Soto Headline MLB All-Star Week
What an eventful week for the MLB. Rumors are starting to pick up as we near the trade deadline, and it was also all-star week. However, two names that have been the center of attention are star outfielders Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
It has been the tale of two sides for Soto and the Washington Nationals and Judge and the New York Yankees. While the Nationals have had a disappointing year, posting a league-worst 31-63 record, the Yankees have been exceeding expectations, posting a league-best 64-28 record.
Although both players are currently on two ends of the spectrum since their teams are trending in different directions, this may not stop them from potentially leaving their teams.
Judge and Soto have been the face of their franchises for years, and the Yankees and Nationals would love to keep their young stars around to help build around them for the long run. However, that may not be the case for either or.
At the beginning of the All-Star break, trade rumors across the MLB are starting to pick up, but none more significant than the rumors surrounding Soto and Judge.
While both players enjoy being at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, which is home to the Dodgers, some teams will try to acquire either Soto or Judge by the deadline.
It all started when the Nationals offered Soto a massive 15-year deal that would’ve paid him $440 million, trying to lock up their star for the future, especially if the team can have another World Series run down the road. However, Soto surprisingly turned down the following offer from the Nationals.
This shocked many baseball fans since he would turn down a huge offer that many other players would accept. This started to leave a lot of questions for Soto and the Nationals for their future as the all-star outfielder may be on his way out if Washington with multiple teams, including the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, and Padres, waiting to line up a trade package in an attempt to land Soto.
Meanwhile, Judge is on an expiring contract, and the Yankees have yet to find a solution to keep their all-star outfielder for the foreseeable future.
Before the start of the All-Star game, Judge commented on a question made by a young Yankees fan named Jacob, asking, “Are you telling me that Aaron Judge may not be a Yankee after this year?” Judge then answered the question, stating, “there’s a lot of great Yankees on the team that’ll be around for a long time and not to be upset, hoping that he’ll be a Judge fan for life,” leaving baseball and Yankees fans wondering if this is it for Judge and his time in New York.
With the way Judge sounded, it doesn’t sound like his future in New York is certain. This could lead to Judge leaving the team sooner or later, which would upset many Yankees fans. Even if the team can land Soto, it may lead to a scenario where the Yankees might not be able to maintain Judge or other talents on their team.
Buckle up, baseball fans, because this may be the start of a crazy trade deadline and offseason in the MLB.