"None of that with Aaron Judge and Juan Soto" - Yankees analyst claims duo had no animosity, says free agent's Padres situation was overblown

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto had a historic first season together as teammates for the New York Yankees, with both finishing in the top three spots of the 2024 American League MVP voting.

MLB analyst Derek Levandowski of Pinstripe Territory said that he sensed no animosity between Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. He also dismissed reports of Soto having issues with his former San Diego Padres teammates to be overblown.

Reports of internal competition between superstar Yankees sluggers have been well documented since the days of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in the 1920s, followed by the home run record chase between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961.

Reggie Jackson and Thurman Munson competed against each other despite enjoying plenty of success together in the 1970s. It was pretty much the same between Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in the opening decade of the 21st century.

Levandowski, though, said that there was no indication of such a situation between Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.

"Usually when there's some smoke, there's some fire; you find out that there were a lot of rivalries at times between these guys," he said. "You saw none of that with Judge and Soto. Apparently, there have been rumors that there's been something between Soto and (Fernando) Tatis Jr. or (Manny) Machado. But it seems like that was kind of overblown because all I saw of Juan Soto was a great teammate.

"Make no mistake, he's an excellent player and an excellent clubhouse guy," he added. "I didn't see any hint of a cocky attitude. Some guys don't handle the New York media well. Whenever he had a bad game, which was rare, he would own up to it. He would stand in front of his locker and take the questions. He was not ducking out."

Judge and Soto posted a historic campaign together, becoming the first pair of teammates to record more than 40 home runs and 100 RBIs, along with an OPS+ above 175 during the same season since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

---

"Could reassemble an even better team": Derek Levandowski on the Yankees losing Juan Soto

Juan Soto hit a career high 41 home runs for the Yankees in 2024 (Image Source: Imagn)

Juan Soto is expected to receive a long-term contract worth over $600 million, which could set an MLB record in terms of actual value.

Derek Levandowski feels the New York Yankees could build up with a stronger team if utilize those funds in acquiring other highly rated free agents in case they can't sign Soto.

"If they lose him, I think there's a chance that the Yankees could reassemble an even better team by spreading some money around," Levandowski said.

The New York Yankees and the New York Mets are touted to be the favorites to land Soto, while the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly also looking to sign the outfielder.