It was a soft, but meaningful salvo. When Juan Soto recently declared the New York Mets stood a better chance of claiming the World Series than the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge responded with a characteristic grace but made his viewpoint clear. “He can say what he wants, “Mr. Judge said. “I definitely disagree with him.”

The Mets' vision for the future, as well as a record contract, ultimately sold Soto to spurn the Yankees for the Mets. And he'll hear it from Yankees fans when the Mets travel to the Bronx for a three-game series in May. But Soto made it clear how he plans to deal with such animosity.

The New York Yankees are coming off a remarkable run to the World Series, where they fell just short against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While many expected them