Aaron Judge seemed to make his feelings clear about Juan Soto’s departure from the Yankees in his year-end Instagram post.
The New York Yankees star marked the end of 2024 with a series of photos shared on social media.
The post, which he captioned by writing 2024, followed by an arrow emoji and then writing out 2025, featured multiple photos from throughout the year, including many of his Yankees teammates.
However, there was one notable omission. Soto, who along with Judge helped launch the Bronx Bombers to the World Series, was absent from the photos shared in Judge’s year-end recap.
The absence comes after Soto traded the Yankees for crosstown rival the New York Mets in one of the biggest deals ever in sports — a 15-year contract worth $765 million — this offseason.
However, the post included several photos of Judge’s other teammates, including Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton and Alex Verdugo.
Aaron Judge (right) appeared to make a thinly veiled comment about former teammate Juan Soto (left)
The 6-foot-1 slugger also added a photo of himself with his wife Samantha and their two dogs, Penny and Gus, after announcing they were expecting their first child together last week.
Some fans were quick to point out Soto’s omission in the comments, with many suggesting it was an intentional snub from Judge, while other begrudged Yankees fans praised the captain for the move.
“I love you for not posting Soto,” one social media user wrote in the comments, while another agreed, adding, “no soto in the post is just a W. Stanton and Judge.”
“Thank God you didn’t post that (slang) Soto,” a third shared.
Another added: ‘Haha, the word doesn’t say anything about the snake. Happy New Year cap!’
Some scorned Yankees fans seemingly wanted to erase any trace of Soto from the Bronx, while one sarcastically replied, “never heard of this ‘Soto’ guy.”
Another echoed the joke, adding, “Who is this Juan Soto you’re talking about?”
Others noted the inclusion of other Pinstripe stars, especially Verdugo. The left fielder is also expected to part ways with the Yankees this season and some fans claimed that Judge’s inclusion of the departing Yankee over Soto was a telling sign.
“Bro called verdugo over soto LMFAO,” one fan wrote, while another claimed the judge “liked Verdugo more than Soto.”
Soto sparked a free agency frenzy last month when the Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets were all reportedly in the hunt for his signature.
Some fans were quick to highlight Soto’s omission from Judge’s year-end Instagram post
Despite the Yankees reportedly putting a $760 million offer on the table, their 2024 superstar opted to sign with the Mets.
But while the team did everything it could to pursue Soto, Judge seemingly didn’t use the charm offense.
Judge, who was named the Yankees’ 16th captain after signing a nine-year, $360 million contract in December 2022 following his AL record-breaking season, is said to have taken a passive approach to Soto’s free agency.
“I think it’s best to give those guys space,” Judge said of Soto in November. “I’ve been talking to him all season. He knows what we think of him. The most important thing is for him to do his thing… and come to the right decision for him and his family.”