Aaron Judge 'Happy' He Signed Yankees Contract to Avoid 'Getting Booed Like Juan Soto'

For New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, Juan Soto's frosty reception back at Yankee Stadium was a reminder of why he wants to continue donning pinstripes.

"This is where I always wanted to be, especially after getting drafted here," he said to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "This is my home. But if I was to look back, and would have signed with the Padres or signed with the Giants, it could be a little different.

"I might have been getting booed like Soto, so I'm happy with my decision.

"Really, for me, it was all about getting a fair deal for what I thought I was worth, while still putting the team in a good position to sign who we need to."

Soto did pretty much everything the Yankees could've asked of him in his one year with the team. He finished with a 179 OPS+ and had the second-highest WAR (7.9) on New York, per Baseball Reference.

The four-time All-Star also boasted a .327/.469/.633 slash line in the playoffs as the Bronx Bombers won an American League pennant.

Whatever goodwill Soto built with fans went up in flames the moment he signed with the New York Mets, though.

A chorus of boos awaited him when he stepped to the plate for the first time in the Mets' 6-2 loss to the Yankees on May 16.

In the case of Judge, it would probably take more than just signing with the Mets, or even the more hated Boston Red Sox, for the fan base to turn against him so quickly.

The 33-year-old is the greatest Yankees power hitter in modern history, surpassing Álex Rodríguez and Reggie Jackson. He trails only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in career slugging percentage (.614).

Coming up through the system and wearing a Yankees uniform 10 years means this is the team that will be most synonymous with his career, should he wind up playing anywhere else, too.

Still, it's easy to see why Judge watched Soto's return and remembered why he didn't want to move anywhere when he became a free agent after the 2022 season.