Dodgers will enter Juan Soto sweepstakes — thanks to Shohei Ohtani’s contract

LOS ANGELES — The richest whitethorn get moreover richer. The Dodgers are halfway to beating nan Yankees successful nan World Series, and connection is they person liking successful signing Yankees superstar Juan Soto, according to group acquainted pinch their thinking.

The Dodgers, already arguably baseball’s champion discourtesy — it’s either them aliases nan Yankees — intend to make a play for Soto “if he’s interested” successful coming, sources say.

The Yankees and Mets are understandably viewed by folks astir shot arsenic likely favorites to motion Soto, not only because they are very bully teams successful premier position financially to make a tally astatine nan free supplier who’s expected to group a net record, but because Soto is seen arsenic enjoying his twelvemonth successful New York. The juggernaut Dodgers tin spend him, too, but nan biggest mobility for them is: Would he spell backmost west?

Juan Soto flips his bat aft hitting a location tally successful Game 2 of nan World Series against nan Dodgers connected Oct. 26, 2024. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Yankees group spot nan Mets (and possibly nan Blue Jays) arsenic nan existent threat successful nan Soto derby and don’t judge Soto wants to return to Southern California immoderate much than Shohei Ohtani wanted to travel to New York. As for Soto and nan Dodgers, a Yankees personification had 2 words: “Never happen.”

The Yankees almost annually are believed to beryllium baseball’s highest gross squad and nan Mets person baseball’s richest azygous owner, Steve Cohen, but nan Dodgers financial situation, already excellent, was exponentially enhanced upon Shohei Ohtani’s signing. Dodgers shot group often convey Ohtani for showing nan elasticity to motion nan $700M deal that is 97 percent deferred, which immunodeficiency them good beyond his ain unprecedented 50-50 productivity by allowing them to motion almost anyone. And truth beryllium told, Dodgers bigs convey their fortunate stars each time for nan gift that will presumably support connected giving.

Word is that since $68M of Ohtani’s $70M net is deferred without interest, nan costs to nan Dodgers is person to astir $30M annually, moreover little than nan $43.7M players national estimate. But nan overmuch bigger use is nan tremendous profit nan Dodgers are making via sponsorship and trading opportunities — 2 Asian airlines unsocial sponsor nan Dodgers, nan LA Times reported — and connection is, it’s really galore times nan costs to them of Ohtani’s grounds contract.

Soto, who deed 41 location runs and posted a career-best .989 OPS for a afloat play successful 2024, is correct up nan Dodgers’ alley arsenic an all-time awesome subordinate pinch a pristine estimation and different younker for a free supplier — he turned 26 nan time of Game 1. And though connected nan cusp of nan World Series he called this twelvemonth “one of nan astir nosy years,” he’s consistently said his main liking is successful winning, and brilliantly tally LA is well-positioned to proceed to do that, possibly moreover arsenic well-positioned arsenic history’s champion, nan Yankees.

The Dodgers signed good complete $1B successful subordinate contracts past winter, including $325M (plus $50.6M successful posting fee) for different historically young free agent, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, nan right-hander who unopen down nan Yankees successful LA’s 4-2 Game 2 victory, and are expected to play large again this winter.

The Dodgers’ overriding mobility connected Soto is geographic. Many do spot nan Yankees and Mets holding an separator successful nan highly anticipated free-agent derby since location was proposal early successful his tenure successful San Diego that nan Dominican prima preferred to beryllium connected nan East Coast, wherever he started pinch nan Nationals successful Washington. But while he whitethorn for illustration nan East, connection is location was an fantabulous chance he was going to re-sign pinch nan Padres past summertime earlier beloved Padres proprietor Peter Seidler took sick and passed away. They were said to beryllium “down nan road” successful negotiations earlier Seidler’s tragic turn.

Shohei Ohtani’s statement deferrals springiness nan Dodgers elasticity to make a tally astatine Juan Soto successful free agency. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Soto enhanced his résumé by showing he tin thrive successful New York and burnished his immense postseason estimation pinch different large October — he became nan youngest subordinate to deed 5 location runs successful a postseason successful nan Nats’ 2019 title tally and this October he’s posted adjacent to a 1.400 OPS betwixt nan ALCS and first 2 World Series games. But nan different mobility is whether he minds being nan 2nd fiddle connected a squad wherever Ohtani is unquestionably No. 1. (Soto hasn’t minded it successful NY pinch Aaron Judge). The Dodgers already do person nan champion correct fielder successful MLB, Mookie Betts, but he’s shown he tin play anywhere, including halfway field. Soto could besides play near field. Free supplier Teoscar Hernandez is having a superb twelvemonth and says he “1,000 percent” wants to stay.

The Dodgers are seen arsenic rather perchance nan pipeline favourite for yet different Japanese star, right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki, if he comes complete this wintertime (there’s seen arsenic a decent chance he will), and pinch nan Yamamoto signing, they’ve already surgery nan conception that large Japanese stars don’t want to stock nan spotlight pinch different Japanese star. The Dodgers are successful position for different $1B positive wintertime pinch a decent harvest of free agents available.

Follow The Post’s sum of nan Yankees successful nan postseason:

• Vaccaro: Yankees whitethorn request to spell belief to prevention Aaron Judge this World Series
• Sherman: Yankees stay defiant, moreover arsenic nan Dodgers expose each their flaws
• Heyman: Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto flipped Yankees’ top World Series edge
• Juan Soto gives Yankees rallying outcry aft latest violative one-man show

The incomparable Ohtani is expected to subordinate nan rotation adjacent year, and injured pitching stars Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and presumably all-time awesome Clayton Kershaw should besides bolster nan skeletal rotation group that truthful acold has nan Dodgers pinch a two-games-to-none World Series lead, but pitching is expected to beryllium emphasized.

No 1 would beryllium amazed if they besides made runs astatine immoderate of 1) Blake Snell, who sources said will beryllium opting retired (they tried for him past outpouring but came up conscionable short, declining to do nan 2nd twelvemonth and opt out), 2) Southern California autochthonal and erstwhile Cy Young victor Corbin Burnes, 3) their ain Jack Flaherty, who sounded a gem successful nan NLCS vs. nan Mets and a near-gem successful Game 1 vs. nan Yankees, 4) his LA Harvard Westlake High School teammate Max Fried aliases 5) immoderate different star.

It should beryllium nary astonishment Soto is connected their radar. As 1 personification acquainted pinch their reasoning pointed out, they’ve astatine slightest tried for “almost every” big-time free agent. The only superstars they wholly passed connected were Carlos Correa (due to Dodgers instrumentality hatred of nan Astros from nan tainted 2017 World Series) and Judge, who they correctly assumed was returning to nan Yankees. (They besides didn’t play for their ain Manny Machado arsenic they felt he didn’t fresh into their clubhouse, according to Dodgers people.)

They antecedently signed Freddie Freeman, arsenic good arsenic Yamamoto, locked up Betts and tried for Gerrit Cole, Bryce Harper, their ain Corey Seager and galore different megastars. But acknowledgment to Ohtani’s contract, which is not only nan richest but astir “flexible” ever, they are a threat to motion almost anyone nan adjacent 9 winters.