The Juan Soto Saga: A Disappointing Twist for the…

The prize of this year’s free agent class is 26-year-old superstar outfielder Juan Soto.

Soto is coming off arguably the best season of his young career, when he slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs, 129 walks to 119 strikeouts, and an OPS of .989 across 157 games. Soto had a wRC+ of 180, an fWAR of 8.1, a bWAR of 7.9, and is a finalist for the American League Most Valuable Player award.

Soto made the All-Star team for the fourth time in his career, and helped lead the New York Yankees to the World Series, where they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Yankees and Dodgers are now among the teams competing for Soto’s services. The New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox are among the reported teams also interested.

While the Dodgers are obviously interested in adding a player like Soto, the latest update from ESPN insider Jeff Passan doesn’t exactly bode well for L.A.’s chances of landing the superstar outfielder.

Passan wrote about the Dodgers and Soto: “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.”

It’s hard to imagine Soto’s market softening, as he’s considered one of the best free agents in MLB history considering his skill set and age.

Some insiders predict Soto will get a contract in the $700 million range, which would be unheard of for a one-way player like Soto. The Dodgers awarded Shohei Ohtani with the richest contract in MLB history last offseason when they signed him to a 10-year, $700 million deal. However, most of it was deferred, as Ohtani makes just $2 million a season. Ohtani also hits and pitches at an elite level.

Soto’s contract is not expected to be structured like Ohtani’s, as he’s expected to get the richest contract in terms of present day value in MLB history.

Will it come from the Dodgers one year after they spent over $1 billion to bring in Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto? According to Passan, it’s unlikely.

The Dodgers will likely use that money elsewhere, as they potentially look to bring back corner outfielder Teoscar Hernández while also shoring up the starting rotation and bullpen.