Losing Juan Soto has defined the New York Yankees’ offseason. While Soto’s 41 homers will be missed, his record-breaking contract has taken away from the star power the Bombers do have. As spring training games begin, the veterans are ramping up and almost ready for game action. Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole squared off on the Yankees’ backfields and the pitcher spoke to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch after.
Gerrit Cole vs. Aaron Judge in live BP at Yankees camp: pic.twitter.com/gFpYqQvEhm
— Bryan Hoch
(@BryanHoch) February 23, 2025
“I enjoy it,” Cole told Hoch. “I’ve done this for a long time; I’ve seen my fair share of line drives and gotten my fair share of line drives. There’s always that uncertainty with guys who can just really hit the ball so hard, so that’s not comfortable. But it’s fun to compete against him, and then to be able to talk about it afterwards — that’s special.”
Judge took Cole deep for one of his patented left-field home runs, according to Hoch. The Yankees play the Boston Red Sox on Monday afternoon but neither veteran will be in the lineup. Cole is not expected to pitch until the next turn in the rotation. And Judge won’t play until March 1.
The Yankees did add pieces this offseason but Cole and Judge will still have to lead from the front this season.
Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole need to lead the Yankees
Both Judge and Cole are right-handed and the Yankees added left-handed counterparts for them to feed off of this season. Max Fried signed the largest contract ever given to a lefty starter to join the Bombers. And Cody Bellinger came over in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. While eyes will be on the new additions early, the superstars must carry the team.
Last season, Judge had arguably the greatest season ever by a right-handed hitter. His 58 home runs and 144 RBIs lead the league, as did his 10.8 bWAR and 1.159 OPS. After that ridiculous season, expectations were high going into the playoffs. Judge was brutal again, posting a .184 batting average over 14 games. His career OPS in the playoffs is .768, compared to his regular-season number of 1.010.
Cole had an inverse 2024 campaign from Judge, as he was hurt for much of the regular season. He went 8-5 in 17 starts, posting a 3.41 ERA in only 95 innings. But when the playoffs came around, he posted a 2.17 ERA in five appearances. His performance in Game 5 of the World Series despite the defensive gaffes around him gave them another chance to win the game.
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