Free agent outfielder Juan Soto is expected to haul in the largest free agent contract ever handed to an outfielder this offseason.
A handful of teams, which include the Yankees, the Dodgers, and somehow even the budget-friendly Tampa Bay Rays— who will pay the Yankees $15 million to use Hal Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season as Tropicana Field undergoes reconstruction— are in the mix.
As tempting as it would be for the Dodgers to land the AL MVP finalist, any possibility of the team signing him would come as a result of his market deflating, as Jeff Passan of ESPN notes that the potential for Soto signing to a price below his desired figure would be an unlikely scenario.
The Dodgers won’t chase after Soto — Ohtani’s presence at designated hitter would leave them with limited options should Soto’s defensive range force a move — but would gladly consider him in the unlikely event his market softens.
Should the Yankees fail to bring back their All-Star outfielder (a player that the Yankees shipped away a package of five players for), the team has their sights on signing a different All-Star outfielder, this time being Teoscar Hernández, notes Passan.
The Dodgers are the favorites to bring him back where he thrived in 2024. Boston is in. So is Baltimore. And the Yankees want him if Soto doesn’t come back, though Hernández could have already signed by the time New York knows where it stands with Soto.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com lists the best reunion case for each MLB team, naming free agent Blake Treinen as the favorite reunion signing for the Dodgers.
After missing all of 2023 following shoulder surgery, Treinen posted a 1.93 ERA in 50 appearances in 2024, holding opposing teams scoreless over his final 15 outings from Aug. 24 through the end of the regular season. The 36-year-old also had a stellar postseason, helping the Dodgers to the World Series.