{"id":1716,"date":"2024-10-27T21:26:48","date_gmt":"2024-10-27T21:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=1716"},"modified":"2024-10-27T21:26:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-27T21:26:48","slug":"dodgers-will-enter-juan-soto-sweepstakes-thanks-to-shohei-ohtanis-contract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=1716","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers will enter Juan Soto sweepstakes \u2014 thanks to Shohei Ohtani\u2019s contract"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 The richest may get even richer. The Dodgers are halfway to beating the Yankees in the World Series, and word is they have interest in signing Yankees superstar Juan Soto, according to people familiar with their thinking.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers, already arguably baseball\u2019s best offense \u2014 it\u2019s either them or the Yankees \u2014 intend to make a play for Soto \u201cif he\u2019s interested\u201d in coming, sources say.<\/p>\n

The Yankees and Mets are understandably viewed by folks around baseball as likely favorites to sign Soto, not only because they are very good teams in prime position financially to make a run at the free agent who\u2019s expected to set a salary record, but because Soto is seen as enjoying his year in New York. The juggernaut Dodgers can afford him, too, but the biggest question for them is: Would he go back west?<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers
Juan Soto flips his bat after hitting a home run in Game 2 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Oct. 26, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg\/New York Post<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yankees people see the Mets (and maybe the Blue Jays) as the real threat in the Soto derby and don\u2019t believe Soto wants to return to Southern California any more than Shohei Ohtani wanted to come to New York. As for Soto and the Dodgers, a Yankees person had two words: \u201cNever happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Yankees almost annually are believed to be baseball\u2019s highest revenue team and the Mets have baseball\u2019s richest single owner, Steve Cohen, but the Dodgers financial situation, already excellent, was exponentially enhanced upon Shohei Ohtani\u2019s signing. Dodgers baseball people often thank Ohtani for showing the flexibility to sign the $700M deal that is 97 percent deferred, which aids them well beyond his own unprecedented 50-50 productivity by allowing them to sign almost anyone. And truth be told, Dodgers bigs thank their lucky stars every day for the gift that will presumably keep on giving.<\/p>\n

Word is that since $68M of Ohtani\u2019s $70M salary is deferred without interest, the cost to the Dodgers is closer to around $30M annually, even lower than the $43.7M players union estimate. But the much bigger benefit is the enormous profit the Dodgers are making via sponsorship and marketing opportunities \u2014 two Asian airlines alone sponsor the Dodgers, the LA Times reported \u2014 and word is, it\u2019s actually many times the cost to them of Ohtani\u2019s record contract.<\/p>\n