Red Sox HOFer claims “Aaron Judge becomes normal, not an abnormal freak” without Juan Soto in Yankees lineup (Source: Getty)

Former All-Star pitcher Jonathan Papelbon said the New York Yankees need Juan Soto on their roster more than any other franchise. He claimes Aaron Judge would not have been able to post his incredible 2024 MVP-winning numbers without the presence of Juan Soto on the team. Papelbon feels taking Soto out of the Yankees lineup will also bring down the offensive production of Judge.

Jonathan Papelbon is a six-time All-Star with 368 saves to his name. He closed out the 2007 World Series for the Boston Red Sox and later became the all-time leader in saves for the franchise. Papelbon also set the franchise record for the Philadelphia Phillies before ending his career with the Washington Nationals in 2016. He was elected to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame earlier this year.

On Tuesday, Jonathan Papelbon was a guest on the ‘Baseball Isn’t Boring’ podcast with veteran sportswriter Rob Bradford.

“Take [Soto] out of the Yankees, and Judge becomes a normal guy, not an abnormal freak,” he said. (Timestamp – 43:58 mins)

Papelbon used a business analogy to explain his point to Bradford.

“It’s like you have the owner [of a corporation] in Aaron Judge,” he added. “But Aaron Judge also needs that CEO. So, it’s like Soto is that CEO. You hit the nail on the head. The Yankees need Juan Soto more than any other team needs Juan Soto.”

Judge certainly benefited from having Soto bat just ahead of him in the lineup. The Yankees captain was named American League MVP for the second time in his career after posting 58 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 223 OPS+ during the regular season.

I think Juan Soto is going to the Yankees: Jonathan Papelbon

Juan Soto finished third in the 2024 AL MVP voting (Source: Imagn)

Juan Soto also enjoyed a superb campaign for the New York Yankees and finished in third spot in the AL MVP voting. According to Jonathan Papelbon, the Yankees are going to do everything they can to bring Soto back to the Bronx and will eventually be able to re-sign the outfielder.

“I think he’s going to the Yankees, as much as I hate to say it,” Papelbon said. “They will be willing to spend the money on Soto because they’ve had the ability to have him in-house and watch him. All the little characteristics, all the little innuendos. His home life, his family life, his away life. All these different things that they get to see that the Red Sox haven’t seen, or the Blue Jays, or the Dodgers.

“I’ve got a gut feeling that they love everything that they’ve seen about him,” he added. “He’s a standup guy. He can handle New York. And once you find that a guy can handle New York, you don’t let him go.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers, the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Mets are among the teams that are reportedly pursuing the marquee free agent of this off-season, besides the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.