Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and the perils of letting MLB stars play GM

MLB isn't the NBA. In fact, front offices are run more like the NFL in one aspect – players can only have so much control. The roster size is too big for stars like Juan Soto and Aaron Judge to make every call, but we've noticed a trend in recent seasons of the best players having a surprising amount of say in the pieces teams pursue to build around them.

Typically, players like Judge, Soto and Ohtani prefer to run it back with many of the same pieces. This is especially true if said organization made the postseason the previous year. However, in an era with at least one superteam – the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers – that's not always a good thing.

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto want to run it back – but the Mets and Yankees should aim higher

It's no secret that Aaron Judge loved playing with the likes of Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. While the Yankees tried and failed to listen to Judge last season to re-sign Juan Soto, expect New York to take their captain's opinion more seriously this time around now that the expectation is more manageable.

The same can be said of Soto, ironically, who made it clear in comments to the media that he wants the Mets to re-sign Pete Alonso, whatever the cost. But should the Mets and Yankees listen? We'll dive into that specifically.

New York Yankees

The Yankees offseason plan is already in motion, in part thanks to Judge. New York gave Trent Grisham a qualifying offer, which amounted to one year and just over $22 million despite his struggles down the stretch, and he took it. Bellinger is well within their price range as well.

Now, it can be argued that the Yankees keeping Grisham around was a mistake or cop-out given some of the players on the open market. Kyle Tucker, for one, has far more upside as a corner outfielder. This does not mean the Yankees would whiff on Bellinger, either. Why not both players? Hal Steinbrenner can surely afford it.

By chasing Grisham and now Bellinger to start the winter, the Yankees could miss out on one of their biggest needs in the quick-moving bullpen market. Anthony Volpe is also set to miss the beginning of the season thanks to sugery. Shouldn't the Yankees look for an upgrade in the middle of their infield, as well?

Listening to Judge is never a bad thing, but his shouldn't be the paramount advice New York follows this offseason.

New York Mets

The Mets failed to make the postseason this season in one of the worst late-season collapses in franchise history – and this team has several of note. What New York definitely should NOT do is run it back, as they have holes to fill in their starting rotation, bullpen and the middle of their lineup. The good news is they have the money to take care of all those voids. The bad news is Soto doesn't sound all the concerned.

Keeping Alonso around isn't bad advice from Soto, but the star first baseman's price point went way up when Josh Naylor signed a five-year deal worth over $90 million. Alonso has shown a willingness to play designated hitter, which should only make his market more robust. That is music to Scott Boras' ears.

Rather than reaching for Alonso, the Mets could sign a high-priced replacement like Kyle Schwarber and ask Mark Vientos to take on the first base duties long term. The starting pitcher market is top-heavy, as well, so New York will want to move quickly there, or could be stuck giving into the Tigers or Brewers demands for Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta later this winter. That's no good.

Add in the possibility of losing closer Edwin Diaz to a bullpen market that has budged quite a bit in recent days, and it's easy to see why Soto's advice was shortsighted after all.

How much sway should MLB stars have in modern roster building?

Call me old school, but Judge and Soto didn't do their teams any favors with the contracts they took during their respective free agencies. Judge signed the largest contract in Yankees history, while Soto is making $765 million over the course of his long-term deal. That really ought to be enough, unless they're called upon by the front office to give their opinion – which they surely will be plenty over the next decade.

I mentioned Ohtani earlier in this piece because in my mind, he is an outlier. Ohtani took a deferred deal that will pay him plenty once he retires. But for now, he's a bargain, making just $2 million per season in hopes of building the best possible team around him. So far, that's worked, as the Dodgers have won back-to-back World Series'.

If Ohtani has a preference of which players he thinks can help the Dodgers win a third straight and extend their dynasty, Andrew Friedman ought to listen and act accordingly. Ohtani is a two-way star the likes of which we've never seen in professional baseball, and he's done more than enough to give the Dodgers the roster flexibility to create a dynasty for much of the next decade.

He is the only exception to my rule.