It’s time for Aaron Judge step up to the plate in a different way.
Ex-Mets reliever Trevor May said on the “Foul Territory” podcast that he thinks Judge should be more aggressive in recruiting Juan Soto as the outfielder mulls his free-agency options this offseason.
In a conference call after winning his second MVP, Judge said that he had not reached out to Soto since the Yankees fell to the Dodgers in the World Series.
“But if you want him, sometimes you just have to flex that muscle a bit because you’re Aaron Judge, man,” May, who pitched with the Mets from 2021-’22, said on his popular podcast.
“You are the LeBron James of the game right now, so just be him and if that helps you and you get him that’s all that matters at the end of the day. It is interesting and kind of of odd that he was very adamant about his not talking to him, which seemed a little out of place with the situation.”
Judge made it clear on the call that he did in fact want Soto back in pinstripes after the two slugging outfielders led the Yankees to a 94-68 record and the team’s first trip to the World Series since 2009.
“I think the best thing is to give those guys space,” Judge said of Soto. “I talked to him all season. He knows how we feel about him. The most important thing is to let him do his thing … and come to the right decision for him and his family.”
Judge did meet with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner in Tampa this offseason and relayed how important it was to sign Soto.
May said Judge should consider being more aggressive, even if that is not his style as Yankees captain.
“What do we know about Aaron Judge?” said May, who spent a majority of his career with the Twins. “He is not the most in-your-face, strong personality. I-am-going-to-insert-myself-into-this-situation guy. That doesn’t seem like something he’s comfortable or likes doing.
“I understand that comes with the captain tag. That’s just what it feels like to me. He’s either lying through his teeth, which I don’t think he’d do. He’s not a guy that would blatantly say, ‘I did not call him’ and actually called him. He would dance around it a little bit more.”
The Yankees and Mets are considered the favorites for Soto with the Red Sox, Dodgers and Blue Jays also in the mix.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported on Wednesday that the Yankees had upped their offer to the 26-year-old, with the feeling being that it is still in the early to mid part of the negotiating process after all the interested teams met with Soto and agent Scott Boras.
“The worst thing that could have happened for this negotiation was them losing this World Series and getting this close because it almost makes Juan Soto — like you have to, you have no choice but to go get him,” May said of the Yankees. And if you don’t it’s going to feel like the sky is falling, even though … it’s not like they can’t build a good team and add other pieces that makes them a division winner and go back.
“But it would feel that way … this waiting game, there’s going to be a lot of anxiety building over time and if they do lose him and this disapproval of the fan will be loud, long and hard to ignore. They are stuck behind a rock and a hard place. But if it does happen, the clouds roll out and the sun is back out… I haven’t seen a truly George-version of Hal. It would be cool to see that for one offseason.”
A decision from Soto is not expected until the Winter Meetings, which begin Dec. 9 in Dallas.
