Aaron Judge makes thinly-veiled swipe at former Yankees teammate Juan Soto on social media

Aaron Judge appeared to make his feelings on Juan Soto's Yankees exit clear in his end-of-year Instagram post. 

The New York Yankees star marked the end of 2024 with a series of photos shared to social media. 

The post, which he captioned by writing 2024 followed by an arrow emoji and then 2025 written out, featured multiple snaps from throughout the year, including many of his Yankees teammates. 

However, there was one notable omission. Soto, who combined with Judge to help fire the Bronx Bombers to the World Series, was absent from any of the snaps shared in Judge's end-of-year wrap. 

The absence comes after Soto swapped the Yankees for crosstown rivals the New York Mets in one of sport's biggest ever deals - a 15-year, $765million contract - this offseason. 

The post did, however, include several photos of Judge's other teammates, including Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton and Alex Verdugo. 

The 6-foot-7 slugger also added a photo of himself with wife Samantha and their two dogs, Penny and Gus, after announcing they are expecting their first child together last week. 

Some fans were quick to highlight Soto's omission in the comments, with many suggesting it was an intentional snub by Judge while other begrudged Yankees fans praised the captain for the move. 

'I love you for not posting Soto,' one social media user wrote in the comments, while another agreed, adding: 'no soto in the post is a W. Stanton and Judge only.' 

'Thank god you didn’t post that [snake] Soto,' a third shared.

Another added: 'Haha word dont mention the snake. Happy new year cap!'

Some scorned Yankees fans seemingly wanted to erase any trace of Soto from the Bronx as one sarcastically responded, 'never heard of this “Soto” guy.'

Another echoed the joke, adding: 'Who is this Juan Soto that you are referring to?' 

Others picked up on the inclusion of other Pinstripe stars, especially Verdugo. The left fielder is also expected to part ways with the Yankees this offseason and some fans claimed that Judge's inclusion of the outgoing Yankee over Soto was a telling sign.  

'Bro included verdugo over soto LMFAO,' one fan wrote, while another claimed that Judge 'loved Verdugo more than Soto.'

Soto sparked a free agency frenzy last month with the Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the New York Mets all reported to have been in the hunt for his signature. 

However, despite the Yankees reportedly putting a $760m offer on the table, their 2024 superstar opted instead to sign with the Mets. 

But while the team was doing all it could to pursue Soto, Judge seemingly didn't turn on the charm offense.  

Judge, who was named the Yankees' 16th captain after inking a nine-year, $360-million contract in December 2022 following his AL record-breaking season, was believed to have taken a passive approach to Soto's free agency.

'I think the best thing is to give those guys space,' Judge said of Soto in November. 'I talked to him all season. He knows how we feel about him. The most important thing is to let him do his thing... and come to the right decision for him and his family.'