Fastball

Stephen A. Smith Goes Viral For Take About Juan Soto and Aaron Judge

Smith says he's heard personally from people he knows that Soto "wasn't feeling Judge."

Brady Farkas

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates after hitting a two run home run with outfielder Aaron Judge (99) in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field on Oct 18.
New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates after hitting a two run home run with outfielder Aaron Judge (99) in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field on Oct 18. / David Richard-Imagn Images
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Popular sports commentator Stephen A. Smith is going viral for a take he recently made on "First Take" on ESPN regarding why Juan Soto left the New York Yankees.

“I’ve heard that Juan Soto wasn’t really feeling Aaron Judge. I don’t know the particulars. I don’t cover the team. But that’s what I heard from people in the Dominican community that I know personally. But here’s the deal. If you are Juan Soto and you are going up against the Dodgers, and you saw Mookie Betts play the way that he played along with others. And you watch Aaron Judge come up so small in the heat of that competition. Is that what you want to stick with for years to come?

Smith is obviously referencing Judge's postseason struggles, which are well-documented at this point. He hit just .184 this postseason as the Yankees fell in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. We have no way of knowing what Soto's motivations for leaving were, but Smith makes it sound as if he has it on good authority that Judge's performance was a part of it.

Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets and is slated to have a press conference with the Mets on Thursday. Money was obviously a part of the selling point for Soto to head to the Mets, but the Mets also seem to have a bright future with shortstop Francisco Lindor and young infielder Mark Vientos flanking Soto in the lineup.

Owner Steve Cohen is also clearly committed to building a winner that can compete for a World Series. The Mets were beaten in the NLCS this year by the Dodgers.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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