Manny Machado would have liked to see Aaron Judge with the Padres

In the winter of 2022, Aaron Judge became a free agent. The Yankees' superstar, who had just hit 62 home runs in a single season, was obviously the biggest name on the market.

And at that point, it was clear that three teams were in the thick of the race. The Yankees were obviously in the mix, but the Giants and the Padres were also among the teams that threw their hats in the ring.

In the end, we know that Judge decided to stay in the Bronx. He signed a nine-year, $360 million deal… and he's continued to dominate ever since.

But in reality, there's at least one person who would have really loved to see Judge end up somewhere else: Manny Machado.

He admitted to Buster Olney that he would have really, really liked to see Judge join him in San Diego.

On the podcast, Manny Machado talked about the time the Padres discussed signing Aaron Judge — and how he and Judge joke about that. https://t.co/MatOy70Lju pic.twitter.com/0Li4CX2Qxc

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 24, 2026

Keep in mind that at that time, Juan Soto was still a member of the Padres. In such a scenario, Judge would have joined a lineup that already featured Soto, Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr.

That wouldn't have been half bad… except maybe for opposing pitchers, hehe.

Machado also said that since then, he and Judge have often teased each other about it. The Yankees captain had long told Machado that he would have loved to see him wear the Yankees' pinstripes… and Machado, when he saw him again after the 2022 offseason, told him he would have loved to see him wear the Padres' pinstripes.

The two guys are clearly good friends.

In the end, Judge didn't join the Padres, but that didn't necessarily surprise Machado, who never believed he'd leave the Bronx and wondered why the Yankees were taking so long to settle the matter.

And as it turned out, Judge ended up batting in the same lineup as Soto… but in New York rather than San Diego.

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