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After signing his $360 million extension two offseasons ago, star outfielder Aaron Judge continues to impress everyone with how great of a player he is. Two years ago, Judge set the AL record with his 62 homers. When healthy, the Michigan product is one of the best players in the game and people are ready to see him ball out this campaign. With that said, Aaron Judge is favored to win the 2024 AL MVP. Will he be able to get the job done?
That’s what a lot of Yankees fans have on their minds, as there is a ton of pressure for Judge to step up for this team this season. In 2023, the Yankees were a major disappointment, missing out on the postseason. This came after they made the huge deal to bring in star hurler Carlos Rodon. Unfortunately, injuries prevented Rodon and the Yankees as a whole from reaching their full potential. That simply can’t be the case this year.
| AL MVP odds |  |  |  |
| Judge to win | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Soto to win | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Alvarez to win | +850 | +850 | +850 |
| Seager to win | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
Whenever Judge has the bat in his hands, he has the potential to leave the yard. He’s known for his home-run power, but he’s also a stud defensive outfielder too. The hope from everyone in the Bronx is that he’ll be able to stay healthy from start to finish in 2024. If that’s the case, then the Yankees will have a great shot of not only making the postseason, but going on a deep run in the fall too.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, Judge holds +550 MLB betting odds to win AL MVP. Those are the best odds of all the standouts in the American League, which speaks to how highly the oddsmakers think of Judge. We have no doubt in our minds that he’s going to have a huge season for the Yankees, but we actually think one of his teammates will be the one to capture the individual honor.
There are 9 days until opening day.
Here is Aaron Judge’s 9th home run of 2022. pic.twitter.com/QV66xdsS72
— RJ (Andujar RBW) (@AndujarRBW) March 19, 2024
Juan Soto is our pick to win AL MVP in 2024
Believe it or not, Juan Soto is our pick to win AL MVP in 2024. The Yankees recorded yet another blockbuster trade, this time trading with the Padres to bring in Soto. Soto is one of the best HR hitters in the league and he joins a lineup that already features Judge and superstar hitter Giancarlo Stanton. We almost feel bad for opposing pitchers who have to try and take these guys down.
Soto has been on fire in Spring Training and he has Yankees fans pretty fired up about what he’s going to be able to get done this season. The great thing for Soto too is that all the pressure is on Judge to step his game up and get this team back to the playoffs. While Soto has provided a lot of excitement, there’s no question that Judge is still the face of the franchise – he’s the one who will take the brunt of the blame if the Yankees underachieve this season.
Juan Soto chasing a fly ball right into your smartphone pic.twitter.com/OlnBKTrdYb
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 18, 2024
We don’t think that’s going to happen and Soto is the main reason why. Similar to Judge, he’s also great in the outfield and he has a cannon for an arm. At the plate, he has one of the best swings out there, with incredible left-handed power. Soto is already winning over hearts in New York City and people can’t wait to see him make his regular season debut later this month, as the Yankees will take on the Astros in Game 1.
Per the oddsmakers, Soto holds +600 MLB betting odds to win AL MVP this season. That’s right behind Judge. How much fun would it be for these two to be in a neck-and-neck battle for MVP late in the campaign? It would of course be a friendly rivalry, but one that NY supporters would enjoy quite a bit. We think it will be a close battle here, but in the end, we’re rocking with Soto to take MVP honors over Judge.
Judge and Soto are eyeing a World Series return for New York
In addition to an MVP race, there’s no question that Judge and Soto are eyeing a World Series return for New York. When Soto was introduced to the media in the Big Apple, he made it quite clear that he wants to help the Yankees get back to an elite level of baseball that fans have grown so used to seeing.
It’s been a rough few years for the Yankees, which has included falling to the Houston Astros in the playoffs on more than one occasion. That rivalry isn’t going anywhere, but Soto is sick and tired of seeing NY fall short. The same can be said for Judge in this case.
As soon as Opening Day gets here, the Yankees are going to be all business. They have +850 World Series betting odds, which is fourth in the bigs. It’s not going to be easy for them to get to the Fall Classic, but the addition of Soto to the lineup and the field is only going to make things easier for them, no doubt about that.
