“You can’t replace a guy like Juan Soto” – Aaron Judge makes feelings known on loss of former Yankees teammate and MVP-caliber players

Aaron Judge has officially arrived at Spring Training for the New York Yankees, and he will be looking to guide his team back to the World Series. Judge won the 2024 American League MVP Award, but he will be playing without an All-Star teammate this season.

Juan Soto played just one season for the New York Yankees before leaving to sign with the New York Mets. It didn't take long for Judge to be asked about the absence of Soto, and a video of that interaction was shared by SNY on X.

"(Juan) Soto's one of a kind man. He's a special player. I'm excited for him and his new chapter with the Mets, but we added a lot of new pieces here ... starting with (Cody) Bellinger and (Paul) Goldschmidt." -Aaron Judge on the loss of Juan Soto.

Even though it is clear that Aaron Judge will be missing Juan Soto this season, he is not giving up on his team. He went on to describe his excitement about playing with some new teammates, and the work that the Yankees did to improve the lineup around him.

"Guys are still wanting to improve, still wanting to get better. They are going to add such a different dynamic to this team. It really lengthens out this whole lineup," said Judge. He wrapped up his answer by saying, "You can't replace a guy like Juan Soto, but you bring in guys like this that are All-Stars, MVP-caliber players, we did a pretty good job."

The New York Yankees were in on bidding for the services of Juan Soto, but ultimately it was the New York Mets that landed the top prize this offseason.

Aaron Judge is all smiles as he arrived at Spring Training

Aaron Judge arrived to Spring Training on Feb. 16, and there were many that were anxiously awaiting his arrival. SNY posted a video of his arrival, and the superstar outfielder was all smiles as he made his way to the clubhouse.

"ALL RISE. Aaron Judge is here 👨‍⚖️" @snyyankees captioned.

Aaron Judge is clearly the leader of the New York Yankees, and he has big expectations placed on him for the 2025 season. Despite losing out on Juan Soto, the New York Yankees are still one of the best teams in the American League.