Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Juan Soto is everywhere it seems these days. A couple of days after news leaked that Soto had rejected a $440-million contract extension the Washington National slugger was the center of attention on Monday night, winning the annual Home Run Derby that precedes the All-Star Game. In all, Soto hit 53 dingers en route to the victory, which actually was less than what second-place finisher Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners hit for the night. Nevertheless Soto outlasted his fellow Dominican to take home the first place trophy and a cool million dollars while he was at it.
However, that is not what I’d like to rant about tonight. Soto is a great player; that is beyond question. But the question on the table tonight is whether or not acquiring Soto would be “worth it” for a team to trade for his services, either now or during the off-season. Not that Andrew Friedman listens to me, but I have to fall on the side of saying emphatically, “Don’t do it!”
Now, in favor of a potential Soto deal, it should be noted that you could get him at his current salary for the next two and a half years. That’s a good long time in baseball time. One could see a team picking up Soto, riding him on a deep playoff run, and then flipping him before the big contract would kick in after the 2024 season. That’s not a bad play for a mid-market team, to be honest. However, if I’m the Dodgers, I would make a phone call or two to the Washington front office, but in the end, I don’t think I would pull the trigger on that kind of deal.
Why not? The cost. The Dodgers have had a decade-long streak of excellence for a reason. With the very real exceptions of Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts aside, this team is not built on flashy signings of high-profile established talent. Those were the Dodgers of the 90s. Instead, this incredible run that the Dodgers have been on is based on identifying undervalued talent (Justin Turner, Max Muncy Chris Taylor), and developing stars within the farm system (Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Lux, Cody Bellinger). In order to get the services of Soto, Friedman would have to essentially empty the minor league talent pool, leaving the Dodgers in a rough spot going forward.
How many prospects is it going to take to get Soto? The answer is A LOT. You’ll get a great player, but you have to mortgage the future of the franchise to do it. Call Mike Rizzo, sure. Have a chat. But in the end, don’t do anything stupid. Cuz the Nats are going to be looking for somebody to do something stupid.
That’s not the Dodgers way.
