On paper, this weekend’s three-game Subway Series between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, which will take place at the Mets’ Citi Field, should mostly be a one-sided affair.

While the 27-17 Yankees have largely looked like legitimate World Series contenders throughout the spring, the last-place Mets began Friday at 18-25. Nevertheless, Yankees captain Aaron Judge sent somewhat of a warning to his teammates who may be underestimating what the Mets could accomplish from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.

Aaron Judge convinced the Mets can still be “a good ballclub”

“You can’t really judge a team off of six weeks of the season,” Judge recently said about the Mets, as Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News shared on Friday. “If you did that, you could take six weeks that we’re struggling and say we’re the worst team out there. They got a good ballclub over there, and I’m excited to get out there.”

The Mets are in the middle of a worrisome injury crisis that involves multiple key contributors, including shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf), being out of the lineup until further notice. Last week, a report suggested that the Mets could become sellers as early as June 1 if they aren’t considered to be back in the playoff race by then.

MLB executives aren’t convinced Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns and team owner Steve Cohen are ready to punt on this season. That said, the math shows it’s getting late early for the Amazins.

Aaron Judge baffled by the current state of the Mets

Of course, Judge is no stranger to certain members of the Mets. Perhaps most notably, slugger Juan Soto was Judge’s teammate as they helped the 2024 Yankees complete a trip to the World Series, while Mets manager Carlos Mendoza previously spent four seasons as a bench coach under Yankees skipper Aaron Boone.

“I really don’t understand it,” Judge said about the Mets’ struggles this spring. “They got a great manager with Mendy over there. He spent a lot of great times over here with us, and they have a great lineup, a great pitching staff.”

Judge and the rest of the Yankees will hope that the Mets are less-than-great over their next three games.