3 teams who can offer Juan Soto a better running mate than Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees enter tonight's Game 3 matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers in a concerning 0-2 hole. The Dodgers' offense has outpaced New York every step of the way so far, in no small part due to the ongoing struggles of presumed American League MVP Aaron Judge.

After a regular season for the history books, Judge's bat has gone ice-cold in October. He was sluggish in the Yankees' victory over Kansas City, he was sluggish in the Yankees' victory over Cleveland, and he has been especially bad in the World Series. The Dodgers aren't exactly brimming with top-shelf pitching, but Judge hasn't figured out what L.A. is throwing at him.

Judge is 1-for-9 with six strikeouts so far this series. For his career, the 32-year-old is now batting .199 with a .436 slugging percentage in the playoffs. Not great for anybody, but especially disappointing for arguably the best hitter of his generation.

No matter how many regular season accolades Judge piles up, skeptics will continue to hold his October struggles against him. He could flip the narrative with a dominant performance the rest of the way, but there is no precedent for Judge snapping out of slumps in the postseason. It's hard to win at the absolute highest level when your best player fades into oblivion under the brightest lights.

That leads us to Juan Soto. These bad games from Judge are especially frustrating for Yankees fans because of how fleeting it all feels. Soto is eligible to walk in free agency once the season ends. This could be New York's one true shot with this core, and blowing it because of a Judge megafunk would leave a sour taste in the mouths of Yankees fandom. Not to mention what it means for the Soto sweepstakes this winter: What if Judge's postseason woes end up convincing Soto that his best chance at another ring lies elsewhere? Here are a few viable landing spots with more dependable superstars.

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3. Bryce Harper and Juan Soto are former teammates who'd look good in the Phillies lineup

Bryce Harper and Juan Soto were once teammates on the Washington Nationals. In fact, so were Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. The Philadelphia Phillies have made a habit of poaching former Nats and winning big as a result. Why not keep the tradition alive with Soto?

The Phillies aren't too keen to surpass the third luxury tax threshold, but it appears that Dave Dombrowski will pursure Juan Soto all the same. He's too good a player not to, and Soto's agent, Scott Boras, has deep connections to the Phillies organization. With Harper and Turner on the recruitment front and a strong postseason reputation on Philadelphia's side, it's not hard to buy the Phils as a legitimate Soto dark horse.

It helps that Bryce Harper, even when the rest of Philly's lineup disappears, tends to deliver in October. The Phillies first baseman slashed .333/.529/.750 with a home run and five walks during their NLDS loss to the Mets. The two-time MVP has come up large on that stage several times to date. All that is missing from Harper's robust resume is a World Series crown, which Soto can help deliver.

The Yankees are obviously great, and Philadelphia isn't without its shortcomings. But the Yankees' offense has felt awfully reliant on a couple power bats all season and all postseason. With Judge slumping, it's just Soto and Giancarlo Staton propping up a mediocre collection of misfit pieces. The Phillies have talent across the board, with several All-Star bats around Harper already. Soto would be joining more of a collective effort.

Philadelphia also has the best pitching staff in the National League, which is a nice boost. If the Phillies can actually put together a competitive offer for the four-time All-Star, Soto would be silly not to consider it.

2. Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor would be co-MVP frontrunners for the Mets

If the Yankees can't convince Soto to stick around, the New York Mets sure feel like the favorite to land him. It's a short move across the city, for one, and Mets owner Steve Cohen has the deepest pockets in baseball. It helps that we just saw the Mets in the NLCS, proof positive that this very expensive roster can win with the right manager.

The Mets could lose several critical free agents this winter, but Soto would pretty much guarantee New York a competitive position in the loaded NL East. Battling the Braves and Phillies all season is no small task, but New York would have arguably the best one-two punch in the National League with Soto and Francisco Lindor, who is expected to finish second in MVP voting.

Lindor has always been excellent, but this was his breakthrough campaign. The 30-year-old shortstop moved to the top of the Mets lineup and exploded, which carried over to a productive postseason. He slashed .275/.387/.490 with two home runs, six extra-base hits and 10 walks across 13 games in October. The Mets ultimately fell short against a loaded Dodgers team, but not for lack of trying on Lindor's part, and Soto would be as big a boost as the team could hope to make.

A ton of money is one thing, but it's hard to imagine Soto leaving the World Series-contending Yankees for a losing team. The Mets' gritty October was exactly what they needed to successfully pitch Soto, who would never find his support lacking with a five-tool superstar of Lindor's caliber in the lineup.

1. Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani could win the next five World Series for the Dodgers

The idea of Juan Soto going to the Los Angeles Dodgers should terrify the rest of the league. It's bad for baseball, honestly. Hal Steinbrenner, Steve Cohen and John Middleton should all find it within themselves to outbid L.A. at all costs. Soto has experience on the West Coast with the Padres and there is undeniable appeal to joining a lineup that already consists of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

We can pretty much never count out Los Angeles when it comes to high-profile free agents. Ohtani's historic $700 million contract came with equally historic deferrals, allowing that front office to think about another investment of uncommon magnitude before Ohtani even gets a full season under his belt.

The Dodgers are two wins away from a World Series, and Soto knows first-hand how intimidating that Los Angeles lineup is — especially when their pitching staff is carrying water. The Dodgers weren't supposed to pitch well this October, but Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler have all dug deep for heroic starts while the bullpen has been lights-out. Next season Tyler Glasnow and Ohtani rejoin the rotation, while free agents such as Max Fried are also on the Dodgers' radar.

Soto going to the Dodgers seems almost unfair. Baseball is wild and unpredictable — repeat champs aren't exactly a common occurrence — but if this comes to pass, well ... we might be talking about the greatest dynasty since the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine in the 70s.