MLB rumors: Dodgers' plan to pursue Juan Soto could melt fans' minds

Juan Soto is one of the best hitters to ever step foot on a baseball diamond. He's just 26 but has already been a major leaguer for 7 years. In that time, he's hit .285/.421/.532 with 201 home runs, has more walks than strikeouts, and has put up a stellar 36.3 fWAR that's good for fifth in baseball since his debut.

While he's currently battling for a World Series title, his impending free agency this winter has been on fans minds for months. Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently released his free agency predictions and he suggested that Soto could earn a contract worth 15 years and $622 million. Bowden isn't the only insider giving out massive numbers like that either.

Many within the industry think Soto will blow past every other free agent contract outside of Shohei Ohtani's $700 million deal from last winter. And while to this point much of the conversation has been about whether the Mets or Yankees would pay more for Soto's services, Jon Heyman of the NY Post reports that the Dodgers are now expected to be in the mix for the superstar right fielder.

The Dodgers could break the system by signing Juan Soto to a mega-deal

The Dodgers are already hated by much of the baseball world. First, because they've been so good for so long that fans are sick of seeing them playing deep into October. But second, because they've gone full villain mode by spending so much money on player salaries that some people out there think MLB should institute a salary cap to prevent the Dodgers from adding so many star players.

While we won't spill any garbage thinking about salary caps here, you can bet that if the Dodgers go out and overbid on Soto that fans everywhere are going to lose their collective minds. LA spent over $1 billion on player salaries last winter, primarily between Ohtani and Japanese superstar pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Ohtani's mega-deal was expected but the Dodgers gave Yamamoto $325 million, the most ever for a free agent starting pitcher, despite him never having thrown a pitch in the major leagues. They also dished out nearly $150 million for the ghost of Tyler Glasnow, who somehow stayed on the mound for a career-high 134 innings before once again going down with injury and failing to be available for the Dodgers' postseason run.

On top of that, the Dodgers have Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts on massive contracts. Cot's Contracts has LA projected to be at roughly $270 million in terms of the CBT heading into 2025, but that doesn't factor in arbitration raises for players currently on the roster.

To be fair, the Dodgers' $350 million payroll in 2024 was just second in the league, behind the Steve Cohen-led Mets. But the Dodgers could challenge for control of the top spot by getting into the Soto sweepstakes.

It's already assumed that Soto will earn north of $600 million this winter. However, if the Dodgers get involved they might just surprise us and blow the other teams out of the water. It's certainly possible that LA goes upwards of $700 million with their offer to Soto, which would be tough for either New York team to compete with and would be tough for Soto to turn down.

We'll have to wait to see how the Soto situation plays out, but this story just got a whole lot juicier if the reports about LA getting involved prove to be true. And if they are, we can probably say goodbye to the slim chance that the Orioles will be in the bidding.