Ortiz says LA is a sho-in for another World Series title if Dodgers land Juan Soto
Big Papi talks about the possibility of Juan Soto signing with the Dodgers and what that means for LA.
Sports Seriously
Free agent outfielder Juan Soto has begun narrowing down his list of possible landing spots, with the price tag on a new contract likely topping the $600 million mark.
Days before MLB’s Winter Meetings begin in Dallas, agent Scott Boras says he doesn’t think a Soto decision is “imminent” – altough Boras didn’t identify any teams as either in or out of the bidding for Soto’s services.
The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets have been the ones who’ve publicly expressed the most interest.
At a news conference on Tuesday announcing the signing of another one of his high-profile clients, Blake Snell with the Dodgers, Boras was asked about Soto’s timeline.
“He’s just got a lot of information to meld through,” Boras replied. “We’ve had meetings with a number of franchises. He’s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we’ll see, but I don’t think anything is imminent in the near future.”
Soto, 26, helped lead the Yankees to the World Series this past season, setting career highs in home runs (41) and runs scored (128), while posting an elite .989 OPS that trailed only league MVP winners Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
Soto’s next contract is expected to surpass the one Ohtani signed last offseason in present-day value. The Japanese star signed a heavily deferred 10-year, $700 million deal that was valued at $460 million for luxury tax purposes. With Boras as his agent, Soto doesn’t figure to take that route.