The Dodgers’ concentrate on Juan Soto is at the moment directed in the direction of figuring easy methods to get the slugger out throughout the the rest of the World Collection, however as soon as the offseason begins, the membership might be wanting so as to add Soto to its personal lineup. The New York Put up’s Jon Heyman experiences that the Dodgers are concerned about Soto and can begin extra of a full-fledged pursuit “if he’s ” if coming to Los Angeles.
As Heyman notes, the Dodgers’ deep pockets have allowed them to at the very least test in on just about each main free agent in recent times, so if something, it will be uncommon if L.A. didn’t have Soto on its offseason want listing. The Dodgers are additionally one of many few groups that may fairly meet Soto’s asking worth, which is extensively anticipated to be essentially the most upfront assured cash ever given to a baseball participant. The “upfront” caveat is critical since Shohei Ohtani’s $700MM deal is so closely deferred that the contract is price round $437.8MM in current worth, and Soto’s subsequent deal is predicted to surpass the $500MM mark.
In line with RosterResource, the Dodgers have already got roughly $257.2MM dedicated to their 2025 payroll, in addition to a $253.1MM estimate on their luxurious tax quantity. The latter once more places the Dodgers over the tax threshold ($241MM) for subsequent season, and naturally including Soto for no less than a $50MM common annual worth would put the membership over the best tax penalty tier of $301MM. Since Los Angeles has already been a tax-paying crew for the final 4 seasons, crossing the $301MM threshold would greater than double the scale of the crew’s tax on any overages past the $241MM mark.
After all, the posh tax has clearly not been a serious concern for the Dodgers of their pursuit of top-tier expertise. With Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Will Smith signed by way of the remainder of the last decade and Freddie Freeman and Tyler Glasnow each signed by way of at the very least 2027, the Dodgers received’t be ducking below the tax line any time quickly, and the monetary penalty is offset by the easy incontrovertible fact that the crew is a revenue-generating juggernaut.
There are many apparent the explanation why Soto would have his personal curiosity in becoming a member of a perennial contender just like the Dodgers, although geography continues to be the lingering query surrounding Soto’s impending free company. Whereas Soto and Padres proprietor Peter Seidler made some headway in extension talks previous to Seidler’s passing a yr in the past, Heyman repeats the long-held perception that Soto would favor to play on an East Coast crew, all issues being equal. This might make the Yankees or Mets the favorites to signal him this winter, as the 2 New York groups can higher match Soto’s preferences of each location and contract.
Whereas the Yankees and Mets alone might generate a pleasant bidding conflict, Soto and agent Scott Boras would definitely have a vested curiosity in protecting different groups within the hunt, be it the Dodgers or different potential suitors just like the Giants, Blue Jays, or Nationals. If the Dodgers understand that Soto’s curiosity in coming to L.A. is pretty restricted, the crew might simply transfer onto any variety of different choices on the free agent market.
As an example, re-signing Teoscar Hernandez can be a lot inexpensive than signing Soto, and Hernandez is already a identified amount in Los Angeles and a giant offensive power in his personal proper. Heyman additionally figures the Dodgers will look so as to add one other large pitcher to its injury-ravaged rotation, although Ohtani, Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and others are anticipated to be wholesome by Opening day.
