Aaron Judge, Yankees brass earn Reds legend’s approval after Juan Soto saga

The New York Yankees are heading to the 2025 season on a clean slate. After a meltdown in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series and the departure of star Juan Soto in the offseason, the team is ramping up its preparation for another deep postseason run this year. Central to this charge, of course, is captain Aaron Judge and manager Aaron Boone.

In "The Mayor's Office" podcast, Cincinnati Reds legend Sean Casey, along with co-host Rich Ciancimino, lauded the leadership and balanced approach of Judge and the Yankees brass for maintaining a level head amidst all of the noise that was brought about by Soto's departure and their implosion in the World Series.

"Aaron Judge's temperament is so important. It sets everybody up," said Casey. (5:24 onwards)

"You can compare it to a parent who instilled a tough mentality on its child. Judge is that kind of guy. He leads from the front and walks through obstacles and that's an example of a great leader."

"You can also include manager Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman to those types of leaders. The latter even gives the impression of being even keeled despite the pressure of being with the Yankees."

Apart from the praise by Casey, Ciancimino added that the selfless attitude of Judge gives the team a lot of flexibility and keeps the team in check.

"It also helps that the captain is one of the best players in the planet and is a great guy. When questions arose about Juan Soto's departure, Judge just subtly commented that the former can make decisions on his own. He even said that he's willing to bat anywhere in the lineup when Soto arrived," Ciancimino recalled.

Sean Casey expresses high regard for Yankees manager Aaron Boone

Continuing on the podcast, Casey applauded Yankees manager Aaron Boone for making Jazz Chisholm's transition to a different position as comfortable as possible.

"That's what a leader does. He makes guys feel welcome and comfortable in their environment so they can go out and be the premier athletes that they are. Beeing around Boone and seeing how Jazz fit in there, it's a feather in the former's cap."

An All-Star second baseman during his five-year stint in Miami, Chisholm was asked to play third base when he arrived at the Bronx in July 2024 and thrived in it. In 2025, the former All-Star is projected to come back to his usual second base role alongside Anthony Volpe in the middle of the infield.