Yankees captain Aaron Judge takes batting practice Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Ron Blum)

The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge naturally takes issue with Juan Soto’s conclusion that the New York Mets have a better chance to win World Series titles than the Yankees.

Soto left the Yankees as a free agent in December for a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets, turning down the Yankees’ $760 million, 16-year offer.

“That’s his opinion. He can say what he wants. I definitely disagree with him,” Judge, the Yankees captain, said Monday after his team’s first full-squad workout this year. “He’s going to be in a great spot. It’s going to be great having him in the town. We’re going to be battling back and forth for quite a few years.”

Judge hit third last year behind Soto and called him “one of a kind” and “a special player.” Because Soto changed his phone number, Judge wasn’t able to contact Soto until after the decision.

“I wasn’t too surprised by it. I think that’s where he wanted to be. I think that’s where is best for him and his family,” Judge said.

Judge, who turns 33 on April 26, won his second AL MVP award in three years after leading the major leagues last season with 58 homers, 144 RBIs and 133 walks. He hit .322 as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009, only to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.

On the move

TEMPE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Angels oft-injured star Mike Trout is moving from center to right field in hopes of better preserving his health.

The three-time AL MVP played in 82 or fewer games in three of the past four seasons while dealing with an assortment of injuries. That doesn’t include the 53 games he played in 2020 because that season was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trout approached the club about the position switch.

Sticking around

MESA, Ariz. — Manager Mark Kotsay has agreed to a contract extension with the Athletics through the 2028 season that includes a club option for 2029.

The deal was announced Monday, which coincided with the team’s first full-squad workout of spring training. The 49-year-old Kotsay is in his fourth season with the A’s leading the franchise through a period of upheaval that’s included a move from Oakland to Sacramento, California, where they’ll play at a minor league stadium for the next few seasons.

The eventual plan is to end up in Las Vegas. The A’s went 69-93 record last season, a 19-win improvement over a 112-loss season in 2023.

That can’t be good

TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t swung a bat in three or four weeks and isn’t sure whether he will be ready for opening day because of painful tendinitis in both elbows.

Speaking before the team’s first full-squad workout, Stanton revealed he played in pain for much of last season as he helped the Yankees reach the World Series for the first time since 2009.

He wouldn’t guess whether playing in the American League champion’s March 27 opener against Milwaukee is realistic.

Already?

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mets right-hander Frankie Montas will be shut down from pitching for six to eight weeks because of a strained back.

Manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday it was a high-grade lat strain and that Montas was heading to New York for an injection. After the shutdown, Montas will need a spring training-like buildup, meaning Montas won’t pitch until May at earliest.

He signed a two-year, $34 million free-agent contract in December. The injury creates uncertainty for a starting rotation that went through a makeover during the offseason.

Elswhere:

n Kansas City extended general manager J.J. Picollo’s contract through 2030 with a club option for the following year. The club also exercised manager Matt Quatraro’s option for the 2026 season. The Royals went 87-76 last season and made the playoffs. They were just the third team to ever appear in the postseason a year after losing at least 100 games.