Could every baseball team use a 26-year-old outfielder who has won five Silver Slugger awards, made four All-Star teams, and won a World Seres ring?
The answer is an obvious yes. Rarely do such players exist, or become available in free agency, which is what makes Juan Soto such a prized commodity among MLB teams this winter.
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The contract projections for Soto are rumored to include "an expected guarantee in excess of $600 million," according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. And the bidding has barely begun.
Some teams could use Soto more than others, however. While money is expected to separate the winning bid from the losing bids, desire is expected to separate the strongest bids from the weakest.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are fresh off a five-game World Series victory over Soto's New York Yankees. Last week, general manager Brandon Gomes revealed the team plans to move Mookie Betts back to the infield in 2025, creating an obvious need for a right fielder next season.
Enter Soto — or maybe not.
Passan reports the Dodgers' desire could be tempered by the presence of a certain $700 million designated hitter. Shohei Ohtani's 10-year contract effectively takes the Dodgers out of the DH market for the next decade, and there is apparently some concern that he and Soto might overlap at some point.
"The Dodgers won't chase after Soto — Ohtani's presence at designated hitter would leave them with limited options should Soto's defensive range force a move — but would gladly consider him in the unlikely event his market softens," Passan reports.
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Soto is a career .285/.421/.532 hitter, with 201 home runs and 592 RBIs across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and Yankees. His .421 career on-base percentage is the highest among all active players.
Soto hit a career-high 41 home runs for the Yankees in 2024, helping lead the team to its first World Series appearance in 15 years. He is widely expected to command the most lucrative contract of any free agent this offseason — if not ever — after scoring an American League-leading 128 runs, driving in 109, and reaching base at a .419 clip in his first season in the Bronx.
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Ohtani, 30, is expected to collect his third MVP award after leading the National League in runs (134), home runs (54), RBIs (130), OBP (.390) and slugging percentage (.646). He became the first player in major league history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
Pairing Ohtani and Soto in a lineup that also includes Betts and Freddie Freeman — both former MVPs themselves — would make the Dodgers immediate favorites to repeat as World Series champions, and set themselves up for success for years to come.
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The back end of any long-term deal for Soto could hamper the Dodgers' roster flexibility, however, as Ohtani is under contract through 2033.
Los Angeles owes Ohtani only $2 million a year by virtue of salary deferrals in his contract. Their competitive balance tax calculation is closer to $46 million a year, which could also affect any contract structure they are willing and able to extend Soto.
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