Aaron Judge's comments just made strong Juan Soto-Yankees argument ahead of MVP win

If money's the singular focus of Juan Soto's free agency, then he'll probably be tempted by Steve Cohen and the Mets, a team with pockets as deep as their World Series drought is long.

But if other tangibles matter, with all else being equal -- a franchise's pedigree, player development, and current roster highlights -- then Soto might just choose Aaron Judge and the Yankees over Francisco Lindor. Just like the Mets in the NLCS, Lindor finished second, while Judge and the Yankees took home the MVP hardware on Thursday night. Second is admirable. First is preferable.

Judge captured the honors unanimously, with Bobby Witt Jr. nabbing all 30 second place votes, and Soto himself finishing third (21 votes, six for Gunnar Henderson, three for Jose Ramirez).

Though the race's third-place finisher didn't attend the presentation via Zoom, Judge brought Soto up multiple times unprompted before being asked about the luxury of batting behind him and being able to attack a pitcher who'd been worn out by Soto's dogged approach. He started his segment by pointing to Soto occupying the basepaths during most of his highlights, noting, "I wouldn't be here without him." He reminded the panel of Soto's dramatic home run in San Francisco in June when asked about the regular season's brightest moments. He noted that reaching the World Series only increased his hunger to win it all.

Clearly, he showed up wanting hardware, and with an agenda.

Now, the ball returns to Soto's court. If Hal Steinbrenner takes care of the finances -- or even comes up $30 million or so short, let's say — is reuniting with Judge, your Bash Brother and now the runaway American League MVP — your preference? Or is there really nothing that can be done short of outbidding a man who cannot be outbid?

Yankees' Aaron Judge wins American League MVP over Bobby Witt Jr.

The word coming out of Steinbrenner's meeting with Soto this week was odd. Some Yankees personnel seemed to be overjoyed, while Steinbrenner himself paused and considered every answer he gave in the aftermath. The meeting was said to be "very honest," which Soto likely wouldn't have participated in if he weren't serious about hearing the answers. Still, you'd rather hear about emanating joy rather than tough questions, and the Yankees' propensity for graduating players to the majors, only to see them stall when they arrive, is concerning, to both fans and Sotos.

But Judge is the resounding success story here, and his guidance and lineup protection should be able to mollify Soto in those aspects. What was good before 2022 has somehow only gotten better; Judge's 10.8 bWAR, 223 OPS+, and 58 tattooed bombs compute to create his greatest season in a ridiculous career.

Judge likely can't carry the load forever, though, and that's where having Soto, an established 26-year-old star, standing between he and Jasson Dominguez, could very well dictate how many of these type of seasons the Yankees are eventually able to enjoy.

For one night, though, the choice was clear. Judge is the American League's best. Soto, an MVP finalist, is close behind. For now, he's still in the American League, and the Yankees hope Thursday's amazing results don't become a relic too soon.