How Juan Soto changes the Yankees' lineup and outlook as 2024 season begins

HOUSTON – Juan Soto was the player these Yankees absolutely had to have.

No offseason Yankee scenario would have been satisfactory without the lefty slugger winding up in pinstripes, teaming with Aaron Judge.

The captain sees “a little grit, a little edge,’’ to the 2024 Yankees as Thursday’s season opener approaches. “There’s a lot of gamers,’’ and Soto is one of the reasons.

Soto’s presence instantly alters a flawed lineup design, one that couldn’t sustain the injury losses of Judge and Anthony Rizzo in 2023, a fourth-place finish that wasted Gerrit Cole’s Cy Young Award season.

To begin to change that narrative, the Yankees had to aggressively pursue Soto.

Whether they could keep him beyond 2024 would be another story.

“Our expectation is that he’s going to go into free agency,’’ Yankees GM Brian Cashman restated late in spring training, with Soto, a Scott Boras client, headed for a staggering payday after this season.

“Obviously, if something changed on that, we wouldn’t create a party line with it.’’

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Juan Soto's work behind the scenes

Since the first day of camp, Judge has been tuned in to how Soto works.

“You see it from afar, the numbers he puts up, and what he does on the field, but you never really see what goes on behind the scenes,’’ said Judge.

Soto was supposed to travel with the Yankees’ split squad to Mexico City for a two-game series, with a chance to see his idol Robinson Cano, but he chose instead to keep tinkering with his swing at Steinbrenner Field.

“The other day, he didn’t like how he was feeling in the game and he’s back on the field, grinding, working with our hitting coaches,’’ Judge said. “It’s just impressive to see (his work) up close and personal.’’

Soto isn’t given high marks as an outfielder, but he’s had a good spring defensively.

And based on their conversations, Judge sees a player concerned about “how he throws, things he wants to do’’ as a right fielder in Yankee Stadium.

“When you hear that from a guy who is already such a complete player, it gets you excited,’’ said Judge. “Because it makes you want to get better too.’’

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The Juan Soto-Aaron Judge Effect

Among the most anticipated elements of the new season is watching the Soto-Judge Effect in play.

For an opposing pitcher, “I can’t think of anything more taxing than that,’’ said Cole. With Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani, “the Dodgers are going to probably throw out something similarly close.

“Outside of that, it’s probably the most taxing first inning in the world,’’ with Soto batting second, ahead of Judge.

As Soto said earlier in camp about teaming with Judge: "We both know the strike zone very well. It’s going to be two walks or two gappers. I think it’s going to be great.’’

Juan Soto's elite plate discipline

At age 25, Soto’s plate discipline is already legendary.

“(He’s) probably the most advanced hitter in the game, for sure,'' said Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt.

“I think he’s the best hitter in baseball. I’ve said that before,’’ Marcus Stroman said this spring.

"I try to swing at strikes,'' Soto said. "Even when they’re flipping me the ball from the side (during drills), if it’s not (a strike) I just let it go by. I just try to train myself like that.''

Breaking in with the Toronto Blue Jays in the tough AL East, Stroman spoke about pitching against the likes of David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. "I faced all those guys. Juan Soto’s judgment of the strike zone is unheard of,’’ said Stroman.

“Most guys take much longer to recognize a ball or a strike when the ball is right around them. Juan’s able to recognize it out of hand - he’s incredible.

“I feel like he knows the strike zone better than umpires at times. When he says it’s a ball, it’s usually a ball,’’ said Stroman. “And his ability to swing when the ball is an inch off the zone is pretty incredible.’’

Juan Soto fitting in with the Yankees

Last season, in a lost year for the Padres, Soto played in all 162 games and led the NL with 132 RBI.

His .410 on-base percentage was lower than his career .421 OBP, which is tops among all active players.

"He’s all about the game and being great at it,'' said manager Aaron Boone. "He understands what a special gift he has, you can tell he’s invested a lot,'' with his offseason preparation and daily routine.

"My message to him is, it’s his clubhouse too,'' Boone said of Soto lending his voice in a leadership role. "And we want to learn and grow from you, and for you to feel empowered to say and do whatever you feel like we need to do.''

Soto is coming off a productive spring, batting .304 with four homers and a 1.003 OPS in 16 games, but the way he’s fit in with teammates and embraced being in pinstripes has taken hold in the clubhouse.

“He’s a great communicator, he has fun, jokes with the guys. And he’s always ready to work,’’ said Judge. “We’re lucky to have him and excited to see what he does…when he steps on the field, what he can bring to a team.

“Just the excitement, the thrill, the energy. It’s special.’’

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Juan Soto changes Yankees' lineup as 2024 season begins