Somehow, it took Aaron Judge and Juan Soto three full days to reconnect during the Subway Series, sharing an awkwardly disconnected catchup (on national television cameras) prior to Sunday night’s Yankees-Mets finale.

According to Judge, the conversation was simple and hit a motivational note. “Just said hello to him, I hadn’t seen him all series,” he explained in the postgame. “Just kind of wishing him the best, kind of said, ‘hey man, you’re the best in the game. Things like this are gonna happen, just keep playing your game.”

Delightful and kind, but also, what exactly are “things like this”? Raucous booing from 48,000 people he betrayed? Large-scale gestures of derision? Judge’s counseling came before Soto’s Mets came up short in a 2-2 game that ballooned to 8-2 in the eighth. It also came before Soto loafed it on a check-swing grounder and allowed DJ LeMahieu to web gem him. Obviously, Judge couldn’t have been referring to an avalanche of Game 3 failure as “things like this,” so it must’ve been an overarching judgment of the $765 million man ($800 million with escalator’s) season to date.

Now that the series is over, though, that’s no longer Judge’s problem. He used to protect Soto. Now, he gets protected by Cody Bellinger. What used to be a fraught partnership has looked a whole lot smoother during Bellinger’s 13-game hitting streak, capped by a grand slam in the eighth inning Sunday night that formally blew the doors down.

Judge struck out with the bases loaded just beforehand, which would’ve ended all hope last year in a world where the lineup depth didn’t continue beyond he and Soto. The Captain’s grateful attitude for all the help he’s receiving these days said everything to Soto without saying it directly.

Aaron Judge’s postgame praise for Cody Bellinger’s protection should’ve set off Juan Soto’s alarms

After all, the financial freedom Soto’s departure afforded them netted him Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Max Fried, and even Devin Williams. The positional flexibility the Yankees gained by Soto bouncing allowed Judge to slide back to right field, a more comfortable Bellinger to take over center, and Jasson Dominguez to finally get the everyday chance he deserved (he opened that key eighth frame with a professional walk). And the “This Year or Bust!!!” burden of Soto’s one season in the Bronx, now gone, has allowed all of the Yankees to play more freely.

Judge was cordial when he got a chance to speak to Soto Sunday, but the conversation didn’t seem that deep. Perhaps it could’ve all been summed up even quicker with a simple, “Thanks.”