Juan Soto is having an exceptional 2024 season with the New York Yankees and is set to become a free agent this offseason. With the Dodgers making headlines last winter for their significant acquisitions, could they be a serious contender to sign Soto away from the Yankees?
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees and Mets are the top two teams likely to pursue Soto, but the Dodgers rank third on his list. Heyman’s comment on the Dodgers’ pursuit was simply, “Are there limits?” This alludes to their impressive offseason last year, where they added Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Teoscar Hernandez, and others, spending over $1 billion in player salaries. Besides the Dodgers, Heyman also includes the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres as potential suitors, though he notes potential hurdles for both teams.
Soto has been a standout with a .307/.438/.615 slash line, 34 home runs, 87 RBIs, 103 runs scored, and 102 walks. With the Dodgers’ outfield featuring Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Kevin Kiermaier, Jason Heyward, and Andy Pages, they could accommodate Soto’s addition, especially since some of their current outfielders will be free agents after this season.
Soto is expected to command a lucrative contract, potentially surpassing the $500 million mark given his performance and past rejections of extension offers. The Dodgers, who made a splash with Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal, could very well be a serious player in the Soto sweepstakes, despite the Yankees being the frontrunners.