The Los Angeles Dodgers are the newest team to throw their hat in the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
Soto, the crown jewel of the MLB offseason, already met with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. Soto's Yankees, who he helped lift to a World Series appearance last season, were thought to be next on his schedule with speculation that both parties met on Monday, Nov. 18.
Mark Feinsand reported that the Dodgers would meet with Soto this week, as early as Tuesday, Nov. 19. ESPN's Alden González then confirmed Soto and the Dodgers were set to meet on Tuesday.
Sources: The Dodgers are meeting with Juan Soto tomorrow, as @Feinsand first reported.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) November 19, 2024
Yes, it’d be absurd of them to follow a billion-dollar offseason with a $600M contract. But Shohei Ohtani’s first year in LA blew away all their financial projections. And they need an OF.
Feinsand mentioned that Soto is expected to command a deal north of $500 million and possibly even higher than $600 million depending on the contract's length.
The large elephant in the room is Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million deal that the Dodgers executed last offseason. Ohtani's contract deferred $680 million in salary for a decade. He'll make $2 million per year through 2034 and then $68 million each year in the following 10 years. That's a large chunk of change.
L.A. won the World Series over Soto and the Yankees, now they look to reload with the biggest fish on the market yet again.
Although Soto landing with the Dodgers is a wild outcome, there's some free agents you just have to go for when they're available. Soto is a player you have to court, especially if you're the Dodgers with a star-studded, competitive roster and enticing free-agent market.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: Dodgers Making Free Agency Pitch to Juan Soto On Tuesday.
