Before the third game of the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, former teammates Aaron Judge and Juan Soto shared a moment on the field before the contest, an eventual 8-2 Yankees win on Sunday. Judge and Soto, who spent one season together in the Bronx in 2024, embraced and said a few words to each other before retreating to their respective sides for the game.

Judge later pulled the curtain back for fans as to what he had said to Soto in that conversation.

"Just said hello to him, I hadn't seen him all series," Judge told reporters after the game. "Just kind of wishing him the best, kind of said, 'Hey man, you're the best in the game. Things like this are gonna happen, just keep playing your game.' It was good to see him. But happy we were able to either walk him or not let him do any damage, especially in this series."

Soto, whom the Yankees acquired from the San Diego Padres in December of '24, did plenty of damage alongside Judge in the Bronx, as the two did their best impression of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig en route to New York's first American League pennant since '09. And even though there were no promises that Soto, who was a pending free agent after the '24 season, would be remaining in pinstripes long-term, Yankees fans fell in love with the star slugger and dreamed of Soto batting behind Judge for years to come.

But it was not to be.

Soto became a free agent the moment the Los Angeles Dodgers popped champagne bottles at Yankee Stadium following their World Series win over the Yankees. And Soto cashed in, leaving the Yankees for the crosstown rival Mets on a historic, $765 million contract. And while Judge didn't speak to Soto during the free agency process, he did do his part to attempt to convince Soto to stay during the season, both with his play and the close relationship he developed with Soto.

This weekend's Subway Series represented Soto's return to the Bronx as a Met. Yankees fans rained boos and profane chants down on Soto, who went 1-for-10 with four walks and a pair of runs scored in the three games against his old team.

As for Judge and Soto, Yankees fans—and perhaps Soto himself to a certain extent—will always be left wondering what could have been in the Bronx. But if this weekend's series was any indication, New York baseball fans are in for a real treat watching the Soto-led Mets and Judge-led Yankees duke it out for years to come.

More MLB on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Judge Shares What He Told Juan Soto in Conversation Before Yankees-Mets Game .

Test hyperlink for boilerplate