Cody Snavely
Que up the hot stove rumors as Major League Baseball is now in full swing, and the latest rumor from multiple MLB insiders is that the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in 26-year-old Juan Soto.
Despite spending well over one billion dollars last offseason bringing in two-way superstar Shohei Ohtnai, top Japanese pitching talent Yoshinobu Yamamoto, extending right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, and taking a chance on a one-year deal for Teoscar Hernández, the Dodgers front office, led by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Freidman, looks to add another big fish to their team.
Soto is entering his highly anticipated free agency as he is on pace to become one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball history with a career of .285/.421/.532 slash line, .935 OPS, and a 160 OPS+ while also coming off arguably the best season of his career, hitting a career-high forty-one home runs and driving in 109 runs for the New York Yankees.
In his first season in the Bronx, Soto was a massive reason why the New York Yankees got over the hump in the postseason, helping them win the American League Pennant for the first time since the 2009 season. However, as we know, the Yankees would fall just short to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series in five games.
It is not surprising that a big-market team such as the Los Angeles Dodgers is checking in on the all-star right fielder due to his projected massive contract, which many are predicting will reach $600 million.
Regarding the Dodgers, however, this is not the first time the team has shown interest. Before Soto was traded to the San Diego Padres during the 2022 season, Soto was high on the Dodgers’ wish list, but Los Angeles would not bite the bullet on the massive prospect haul that the Washington Nationals were seeking.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post has listed the Dodgers among several teams that have checked in on Juan Soto, a list that includes the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, and the Tampa Bay Rays weirdly enough.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle for the Dodgers, if the interest in Soto is legit, is that it has been rumored that Soto prefers to play on the East Coast. Still, with his agent, Scott Boras, stating the 26-year-old wants to play for a team committed to winning now and in the future, there is no better spot than Los Angeles.
What this means for the Dodgers’ offseason plans remains unknown, but it will impact the possibility of re-signing fan favorite Teoscar Hernández as his market may slow up until Juan Soto inks his long-term deal.
The possibility of adding a bat like Soto to a lineup that already includes Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman would be ungodly, but it makes sense to gauge the market for Soto as the Dodgers only have one impact lefty bat under team control until 2027, and that is Freeman, who is entering his thirty-five season.
Any Soto deal will likely last over ten years, as the club that inks him to a contract will want to keep him there for the rest of his career.
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