Could the Los Angeles Dodgers sign Juan Soto and reunite him with Shohei Ohtani?

Juan Jose Soto Pacheco has been brilliant since his arrival with the New York Yankees following the agreement they reached with the San Diego Padres. but we must remember that his contract ended with the Dodgers winning the World Series; so the player will try his luck in free agency.

The Dominican outfielder cemented himself with excellent regular season statistics, maintaining A batting average of .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBIs and 128 runs scored.

In the postseason he continued to show great progress. At OPS 1,160, he has hit four home runs and has a .429/.556/.857 batting line.

Reasons why several teams are interested in acquiring his services, given the lack of an agreement to remain with the team “Bronx Bombers”; According to renowned insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Los Angeles Dodgers would be very interested in signing Juan Soto.

But can they really pay him the million dollar salary the player is asking for?

The Dodgers had a clear goal: to reach the World Series and get a championship ring, and they achieved it, so they made an unprecedented investment before the start of the season. with the introduction of key pieces that revolutionized their diamond work. Proof of this was the signing of the Japanese Shohei Ohtani, who, after the end of his contract with the Los Angeles Angels, moved to the Californians for 10 years in exchange for $ 700 million since the beginning of December last year; Ohtani decided to defer the $68 million a year he was due to make so Dodgers management could assemble a competitive roster. The Japanese will receive $680 million when his contract with the Dodgers ends, with $68 million each year from 2034 to 2043.

Also added was the arrival of pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who arrived from the Tampa Bay Rays and signed a five-year, $136.5 million contract. Similarly, Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who made his MLB debut after a successful career with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, signed a 12-year contract worth $325 million. With just three players, the Los Angeles team invested a whopping $1.161 million, making it clear that they were looking for a new MLB crown.

The 2024 MLB payroll was $339.8 million (second highest in MLB), including Tyler Glasnow ($32.5 million), Mookie Betts ($30 million), Freddie Freeman ($27 million), Teoscar Hernandez ( $15 million), Max Muncy ($14.5 million). million), Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($14.1 million), Chris Taylor ($13 million each) and Will Smith ($13 million each), and Clayton Kershaw ($10 million). Plus Ohtani receives $2 million a year from the aforementioned deal.

Leaving Ohtani on Ohtani’s deferred salary leaves a chance to sign a top hitter, which happens to be Juan Soto, who has reportedly expressed a desire to reach closer to $600 million. ; The Dodgers will have to think carefully about whether the Dominican is the piece that will best adapt to the franchise’s profile.