New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night, marking the 12th time the two franchises will oppose each other for the Major League Baseball championship. yankees will depend On slugging superstars aaron judge And juan soto With Giancarlo Stanton to compete against the hot-hitting Dodgers.
Soto helped clinch the Yankees a berth in the World Series when he hit a three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. Soto is scheduled to become a free agent after the World Series concludes.
Judge, the Yankees captain who was a free agent in last year’s offseason, says he has not discussed the topic with Soto. However, he believes Soto will carefully consider the factors opportune moment,
“When the time comes and all this is over, he will make the right decision,” the judge said.
There was speculation at the end of the 2023 season that Judge would leave the Yankees and take his talents to the West Coast. The San Francisco Giants made Judge a large offer, but he ultimately signed a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Bronx Bombers.
There is significant speculation that Soto’s next contract will be in a similar neighborhood in length, but the money could even exceed the amount Judge received from the Yankees.
Soto has had an excellent year for the Yankees
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The 25-year-old Soto is considered one of the most dangerous and talented offensive players in Major League Baseball. He had a very good season in New York, where he slashed .288/.419/.569 while hitting a career-best 41 home runs and driving in 109 runs. He is also an excellent outfielder with a tremendous arm.
Soto will get some votes in the race for Most Valuable Player in the American League, but he is unlikely to overtake Judge. The giant centerfielder had another eye-opening season, as he slashed .322/.458/.701 while leading the American League with 58 home runs and driving in a career-best 144 runs.
If yankees get production With Aaron Judge and Soto, and Stanton also able to showcase his strength against the Guardians, the Yankees should have an excellent chance to win the World Series for the 9th time in their 12 meetings with the Dodgers. Stanton hit four home runs in the ALCS against the Guardians.
The Dodgers have plenty of firepower themselves, and the trio of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddy Freeman are not going to be outdone by their Yankees counterparts.
steve silverman Covering the NFL for more than 35 years, his writing has appeared in ESPN the Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s Best in the NFL.”
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