Juan Soto, the biggest fish in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) free agent market, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, the winner of the World Series, will meet on the 20th.
“The Dodgers and Juan Soto’s agent Scott Boras will meet on the 20th,” said Trade Rumors (MLBTR), which reports on MLB transfer status, citing reporter Mark Pinesand on the 19th (Korea Standard Time).
The intensity of the Dodgers’ courtship with Soto is unlikely to be significant compared to that of Shohei Ohtani last year. The same was true of U.S. media. Some analysts say that the Dodgers spent more than 100 million U.S. dollars on recruiting two players (Otani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto) last winter, and that Soto, a native of the Dominican Republic and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, would prefer the eastern part of the country.
However, 토토사이트 insider John Heyman informed a source that Soto enjoyed living on the West Coast last season when he played for the San Diego Padres. Soto reportedly wanted a team that could win over geographic preferences. The Dodgers has won 102 games annually since the 2017 season, except for the 2020 season, when the regular season was shortened due to COVID-19.
MLBTR introduced the Dodgers’ plan to form a starting lineup for the 2025 season and emphasized Soto’s justification for joining the team. With Mookie Betts likely to move to the infield, the only outfield players are utility players Tommy Edman and Shin Seong Andy Paz, and Teoscar Hernandez, the winner of the World Series, is likely to leave because he has qualified as an FA. Even if he re-signs Hernandez, Paz can be used as a backup outfielder, and if Edman takes over the infield, there are not enough outfielders.
Payroll also sees no problem. The Dodgers invested a lot of money by recruiting Ohtani and Yamamoto last winter, but since the Ohtani contract has decided to pay 97 percent of its annual salary in installments in 10 years, the expected payroll in 2025 (based on FanGraphic dotcom) is reported to be $50 million less than last year. Soto’s contract is expected to be at least $600 million, but it is highly likely that the contract will last more than 10 years. If Soto signs a contract, chances are high that he will end negotiations with Hernandez. MLBTR believes that the Dodgers will not withdraw from Soto due to the Payroll issue.
The media reports that Soto’s contract will be decided no later than mid-December or around the winter meeting. It is expected to gain momentum after the U.S. Thanksgiving Day on July 28.