Aaron Judge Says Juan Soto Leaving Yankees for Mets Contract 'Definitely Stung'

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge said that watching former teammate Juan Soto leave in free agency for the New York Mets last offseason "definitely stung," per comments to reporters Thursday (h/t Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media).

"When I saw the years and amount of money, it was just amazing news,” Judge said. “Did it hurt? It’s tough to say. Obviously I want the Yankees to build the best team and I know anytime you add a Juan Soto, he’s going to make the team better. So that part of it definitely stung a little bit.

“I loved hitting behind Soto. I loved learning what I did from him and competing with him. He’s a guy that is worried about one thing, which is winning. So that was fun to see.

“I saw him in early days with the Nationals coming up and doing his thing. I thought it was pretty impressive. I saw him with San Diego and then seeing the best of Soto last season, it was incredible.”

Soto played one season for the Yankees after being traded from the San Diego Padres. He scored an American League-leading 128 runs while amassing 41 home runs and 109 RBI while hitting .288 (.989 OPS).

Soto helped lead the Yankees to their first American League pennant since 2009. After the season, Soto left town for a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets.

Now Soto is returning to the Bronx for the first time since becoming a Met on Friday, which will begin a three-game Subway Series between the crosstown rivals.

Soto isn't finding the same success with the Mets that he did with the Yankees. Through 43 games, he's hitting .255 (.845 OPS) with eight home runs and 20 RBI.

It's been a disappointing start to his Mets career, although the 26-year-old is certainly capable of turning it around and returning to the form that's made the five-time Silver Slugger one of the most feared hitters in the league.

The Mets are still faring well, sitting atop the NL East at 28-16. So are the 25-18 Yankees, who lead the AL East by 3.5 games. Their hitting has been tremendous this year led by Judge, who leads the majors with 15 home runs, 41 RBI and a .412 batting average.

First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET in Yankee Stadium.