Yankees' Aaron Judge on Juan Soto Trade Rumors: 'Would Be Fun to See Him Be in NY'

The New York Yankees lineup is already loaded with game-changing power hitters, but Aaron Judge wouldn't mind adding another one.

"He's gonna help whatever team he goes to win a lot of ball games," Judge told reporters when discussing Washington Nationals star Juan Soto. "I would hate to see him go to a team that we gotta play down the stretch. It would be fun to see him be in New York or be wherever he wants to be."

Soto's future with the Nationals is among the biggest storylines at MLB's All-Star break after The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday that the team may look to trade him after he rejected a 15-year, $440 million contract offer.

Not only is the 23-year-old a generational talent who would immediately bolster the World Series chances of whichever team landed him, but he is also under team control through the 2024 season.

Washington has plenty of leverage and doesn't have to trade him. That could help the National League East club command quite the return package, be it from the Yankees or another contender.

For his part, Soto said this when talking about the trade rumors: "I can't do anything about it. I have my hands tied. I'm just going to play as hard as I can."

The two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger finished in the top 10 of National League MVP voting in each the last three seasons and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series. He is slashing .250/.405/.497 with 20 home runs and 43 RBI this season.

Despite his individual success, Washington is in last place in the NL East at 31-63.

New York, by contrast, has the best record in baseball at 64-28 and would only become an even bigger favorite with the addition of Soto even if it cost a number of highly regarded prospects. It is already a championship-or-bust season for the Bronx Bombers, and teaming Soto with Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Co. would only amplify that reality.

For now, Soto remains with the Nationals as teams and MLB fans surely share Judge's sentiment that they would love to see him in their lineups.