When the New York Yankees acquired slugger Juan Soto in a seven-player trade last December, they did so knowing they would be boosting their lineup's ceiling at the expense of their defense, as team captain Aaron Judge shifted from his natural position in right field to center to help accomodate Soto's arrival.
Now, with Soto departing the Bronx for Queens and a record $765 million deal he agreed to with the Mets on the eve of the Winter Meetings, it appears that Judge is set to move back to right field.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, during an interview with YES Network on Monday, said a shift back to right field for Judge would be "likely."
Brian Cashman speaks on potential defensive decisions in 2025. pic.twitter.com/p0cKDwsgQx
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) December 10, 2024
"I think it's likely," Cashman said. "The reason he wound up in center was because we imported Juan Soto. Now that Juan's no longer here, it's hard to fathom that somehow we'll be better aligned to have him back in center. So I would think that he's going to line up back in right field, but stay tuned."
Prior to Soto's acquisition, Judge had made over half his career starts in right field, having only begun playing center field regularly during the 2021 and '22 seasons. While Judge developed into a solid center fielder, he was a Gold Glove-caliber defender in right, so a return to the position would seem to be in the Yankees' best interest. It would also free up center field for the club's No. 1 prospect, Jasson Dominguez, a natural center fielder.
"We have a lane ready to go for Jasson Dominguez, who's healthy again," Cashman continued. "So in theory, not giving it to him [Dominguez] but you could kind of imagine that that's where that would fall, and Judge, in theory, would go to right but we're less than 24 hours after the Soto decision so we gotta get through Dallas, see where this Winter Meetings swap meet takes us and there's always surprises that comes your way."
Regardless of the bats the Yankees potentially import via their Plan B, it's likely that the club doesn't want the soon-to-be 33-year-old Judge taking the majority of his 2025 regular season reps in center.
Judge, who in November was named the unanimous American League MVP, posted a .322/.458/.701 slash line with 58 home runs, 144 RBI, 122 runs scored, 133 walks and 10 stolen bases in 158 games played.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Yankees GM Reveals Likely Position Change for Aaron Judge After Juan Soto's Departure.
