Dodgers to meet with Juan Soto in latest free-agent stop, which makes sense

The Dodgers have a chance to do the funniest thing this offseason … well, funny to us, not the rest of Major League Baseball.

They are reportedly meeting with Juan Soto today, as the 26-year-old is the biggest free agent since, well, Shohei Ohtani, but definitely the most sought-after free agent since Bryce Harper.

As it stands right now, the only true outfielders on the 40-man roster are James Outman and Andy Pages. Yes, Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman and Chris Taylor still exist, but Betts is slated to be the team’s primary second baseman for the foreseeable future, Edman is much more valuable as a utility player and Taylor’s starting days are behind him. All that to say: The Dodgers actually need an outfielder. And sure, outfielder is loosely used here when referencing Soto, but you aren’t about to pay $600+ million over 12-13 years because he’s a premium defender.

Like with all generational position player talents, the appeal is with the bat. Over Soto’s 7-year career, he’s hitting .285/.421/.532 with a 158 wRC+. He also has more walks (769) than strikeouts (696). That’s unheard of in today’s baseball. His 158 wRC+ is the 6th-best in MLB history (since 1947, 4,000 plate appearances). Not 6th-best during Soto’s career, not 6th-best among left-handed hitters, not 6th-best since 2000 … 6th-best ever. The five ahead of him: Ted Williams, Aaron Judge, Barry Bonds, Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout. So yeah, Soto is a generational talent.

When the Nationals traded him in 2022, I thought the Dodgers should have gone hard after Soto.

“When Mookie Betts was available, the Dodgers went and got him. It was be akin to an NBA team trading for Kevin Durant heading into the second half of his career. Trading for Soto now would be like trading for LeBron James or Michael Jordan … before they even hit their prime.
The ‘traditional’ prime ages have always been 27-32 years old. If you’re among the best in your sport, that can probably be moved on both ends … maybe something like 25-34 years old for the elite players. Soto won’t be 24 years old until Oct. 25, so the best is probably still to come, which is a scary thought.”

That was almost 2 1/2 years ago, and most of that still rings true. Except now, the Dodgers would only have to commit money (and a draft pick and international money) to lock up Soto. He’s seemingly willing to play in Los Angeles, as evidenced by his taking the meeting. Sure, it’d be foolish for him and the Dodgers to not meet, considering the resources at LA’s disposal and Soto wanting to maximize his contract, but his agent is also Scott Boras, so we know Soto’s going to be looking to get the most lucrative non-Ohtani deal in MLB history.

I was going to try to formulate something like it in the process of writing this, but this tweet pretty much sums it up:

While the Dodgers’ superstars (and Teoscar Hernandez, should he return) are on the other side of 30, Soto is still just 26. In a few years, when they inevitably see their production dip, having one of the best hitters in MLB history to pickup the slack wouldn’t be a bad thing. And with Ohtani around until 2033, designated hitter will likely be locked up for that long, so Soto is either going to have to shift to left field or first base in this scenario — neither of which seem unrealistic. Of course, first base is a little harder to play than most may think … just ask Joc Pederson.

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On paper, Soto makes a lot of sense. He checks any box you could want him to check, he’s an imposing figure in the box and one of the best hitters the game has ever seen. This is the type of guy the Dodgers (and all teams, really) should be in on. There should be no shortage of suitors, yet, it seems to be the usual suspects who are competing for his services: Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Phillies, Giants, along with the Dodgers.

For Soto, he should go where he’s most comfortable, believes in the future and the place that pays him the most. That might be LA, New York, Chicago, Philly, Frisco or north of the border. A place that’d actually make a ton of sense is going back to Washington. They have the resources and a potentially great young core of players. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Nationals in the sweepstakes, if they’re serious about the financial commitment.

I’m highly skeptical that the Dodgers will actually pull the trigger on a Juan Soto deal, but I also wouldn’t be upset if they did! And signing him doesn’t preclude them from bringing back Hernandez or bringing in a big-time starting pitcher. It would, likely, end any pursuit of Willy Adames they might have. And you know what? That’d be OK with me.

Juan Soto was so mesmerized by the future Dodger chant that he didn’t realize the inning ended 👀😂pic.twitter.com/XeG85fTXyh

— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) July 21, 2022