“I’m not surprised Soto is on the Dodgers’ radar”
John Heyman of the U.S. “New York Post” quoted a source on the 28th (Korea time) and reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers are willing to recruit Juan Soto this winter, saying, “The wealthiest people can get a lot richer.”
After the World Series, Soto will be evaluated in the free agent market. Soto has already been called the “biggest fish” in the world. Multiple media outlets in the U.S. are reporting on how big a contract Soto will sign and which team is interested in recruiting him. The majority of Soto’s contracts are expected to succeed Shohei Ohtani, who signed a 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract last winter.
However, the actual contract size of Soto could exceed that of Ohtani. The reason is that Ohtani chose “defer (deferral of payment)” in the process of signing a 10-year, 700-million-dollar contract with the Dodgers. Ohtani will only receive 2 million U.S. dollars every year for 10 seasons, and the remaining 680 million dollars (about 941.7 billion won) will be received after the 2025 season. As the value of the currency will inevitably decline over time, Ohtani’s contract value is estimated to be around mid-400 million dollars.
It is clear that Soto is worth more than mid-$400 million in Otani’s actual ransom. Soto played in 936 games over seven seasons for the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees, and posted a batting average of 0.285 OPS of 0.953. He has everything from his skillful contact ability, his pioneering ability to lead three walks, his feet that are not slow, and his power to cross the fence at any time.
Jim Bowden, who served as a general manager of the Washington Nationals in the past and is now a columnist for The Athletic, recently ranked Soto as the No. 1 FA ranking. In addition, Bowden said, “By all indications, Soto is ready to become the second highest-paid player in baseball history after Ohtani. It is expected to be able to sign a 15-year contract,” and added, “Most club officials believe Soto can sign a contract of $550 million (about 761.8 billion won) to $650 million (about 900.3 billion won).” 메이저사이트
Currently, Soto’s most likely destination is staying with the Yankees and the New York Mets, led by the owner of the billionaire team. However, Hayman of the New York Post on Friday hinted that the Dodgers could also join the bid to recruit Soto. Of course, there is a precondition. It is time for Soto to live in LA, not in New York. Just like Ohtani last year, Soto can even choose the team he wants.
Hayman said, “Since Soto, who is expected to set a new salary record for the Yankees and Mets, seems to be enjoying his life in New York for a year, it is natural for the baseball community to think that Soto is likely to sign with the New York team. The Yankees have the highest-grossing team in baseball, and the Mets have the richest owner Steve Cohen,” referring to Soto’s chances of joining the Dodgers, predicting that he will wear the New York-based Yankees and Mets uniforms. The background was that Ohtani’s contract included “Dipper.”
Heyman said, “Of Otani’s $70 million annual salary, $68 million will be deferred without interest. Therefore, the Dodgers’ actual spending is only about $30 million. There are rumors that this is lower than the $43.7 million expected by the players’ union.” In other words, since most of the payments to Otani have been pushed back 10 years, it has no impact on recruiting Soto despite the largest amount among major league teams last winter.
“The biggest advantage of the Dodgers is that it can earn huge profits through sponsorship and marketing. With 41 home runs and a career-high OPS of 0.989 this year, Soto is a rare player with a young and clean reputation that suits the Dodgers,” Hayman said. “The Dodgers already have Mookie Betts, the best right fielder in the Major League, but Soto has shown that he can play the entire outfield including center field.”
Finally, Heyman said, “It’s not surprising that Soto is on the Dodgers’ radar. At least, the Dodgers tried to recruit the biggest fish in the FA almost every year. What they failed to recruit was Carlos Correa and Aaron Judge,” adding, “The Dodgers signed Yamamoto Yoshinobu and Freddie Freeman, and kept Betts. They also tried to sign big names such as Gerrit Cole, Bryce Harper, and Corey Seager. “The Dodgers’ participation in the war will pose a threat to everyone.”
