Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge spoke to a television station in New York on Thursday morning, hours after the franchise completed a blockbuster trade to land 25-year-old All-Star outfielder Juan Soto from the Padres.
“I’m excited,” Judge told Fox 5 New York. “We gave up quite a few pieces to get him, you know, but he’s a generational talent. His track record, his stats speak for themselves. I think everybody in the Yankee universe is pretty excited to have him.”
San Diego was looking to lower its exorbitant payroll after unexpectedly missing the playoffs last season, and Soto emerged as the likely player to be moved as he entered his final offseason of arbitration eligibility.
Aaron judge on how he feels about Juan Soto pic.twitter.com/IYDEliyVNh
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The Padres acquired plenty of talent in the deal, including right-handed pitcher Michael King, top pitching prospect Drew Thorpe, pitchers Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
While the Yankees are planning to approach Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, about a potential contract extension, it’s widely anticipated in the industry that Soto could be a one-year rental as New York pursues a World Series.
Soto hit .275 with 35 home runs and 109 RBI last season for the Padres, with a .519 slugging percentage and a .930 OPS.
