After defeating them in five games in the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are said to also try to “steal” Juan Soto from the New York Yankees.
MLB reports indicate that the Los Angeles team is one of those that scheduled a meeting with the Dominican free agent, although it had been said that they would not be aggressive in their negotiation.
Soto, 26, is pursuing a contract worth at least $600 million this Major League offseason.
Although he has declared himself open to negotiating with any team, there are reasons to think that the left-handed outfielder and hitter would not agree to join the Dodgers’ all-star lineup.
Soto wants a contract with the amount they gave Shohei Ohtani ($700 million), but without the deferral of payments. He is not willing to extend the income and that may be an impediment to reaching an agreement with the Dodgers, who have compromised finances, but have found in this system a way to add stars to the team.
Reports during the World Series warned: the Dodgers would only show interest in Soto if the Dominican showed signs of considering a return to the West Coast. He played on that side of the country for a season and a half with San Diego, but the general belief is that he prefers the East Coast where he was during his time in Washington and the last year in New York.
If Soto wants to be the leader of a project, the great figure of a team, the last place he should go is Los Angeles. It is true that he would have the guarantee of constantly playing in the postseason and that he could be a good showcase for sponsorships, but he will be far from being the great protagonist, sharing the stage with a star like Shohei Ohtani and other MVP winners like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman .
It is clear from the tone of his statements that Soto prefers to stay in the Big Apple, even if it were not with the Yankees. The city, the fans and the offers of Dominican culture captured him and it will be difficult to overcome that feeling no matter how high the economic offer or how much a project in another organization attracts him.
