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At these prices, shouldn’t Juan Soto think he’s the best hitter in the game? Or at the very least, not publicly suggest he misses having the “best hitter in the game” hit behind him, as he told our Mike Puma on Monday? 

There’s probably some validity to what Soto told Puma about things being “different” — meaning more difficult — without the great Aaron Judge’s lineup protection. But this isn’t the time for that. 

There may never be a good time for that. But this definitely is not it. When Soto made the comments, before finally homering in Monday’s 5-1 win in Minnesota, he was 15 games into a 15-year commitment. 

It feels like there’s a pretty long way to go — if you’re scoring at home, 14 years and 146 games now.