The Los Angeles Dodgers spent the most money in MLB free agency last winter, signing Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to contracts worth more than $1 billion total. If Los Angeles wants to sign Juan Soto in MLB free agency this winter, it will likely cost at least half that.
Soto spent the last two seasons with the San Diego Padres before being traded to the New York Yankees this past winter. The 25-year-old outfielder, a perennial MVP candidate, is having a career-best season in a contract year. Entering MLB games today, he’s already set a career-high in Wins Above Replacement (7.5).
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- Juan Soto contract (Spotrac): $31 million salary this season, MLB free agent in 2025
Even coming off a 2023 campaign with a .275 batting average and .930 OPS, Soto landed a $31 million salary in arbitration this year. As one of the top MLB MVP candidates right now on a World Series contender, he’ll cash in even more this winter.
Current estimates project that a new contract for Soto will cost at least $500 million over 10 seasons, with the consensus belief he’s worth at least $50 million per year. While signing Soto would add a considerable amount to the Dodgers payroll in 2025, it does appear to be a legitimate possibility.
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Will the Dodgers sign Juan Soto?
In handicapping the MLB free agency sweepstakes for Soto this winter, Jon Heyman of the New York Post gave the Dodgers the third-highest odds (15-to-1) to sign Soto in the upcoming offseason.
- Juan Soto stats (ESPN): .307/.438/.615, 1.052 OPS, 34 homers, 87 RBI, 24 doubles in 436 ABs
Los Angeles is far ahead of teams like the San Francisco Giants (20-1) and Toronto Blue Jays (25-1), but the Yankees (even money) and New York Mets (5-to-1) are considered the favorites for Soto in free agency.
The Dodgers front office will certainly make a run at the All-Star outfielder, but there is a real possibility they explore other options. Instead of signing Soto to a $50-$55 million per year deal, Los Angeles could use its international bonus pool money to sign Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki and it could finally land the All-Star infielder it’s been after for years. Considering the team’s pitching woes and durability concerns, it might be in the Dodgers’ best interest to spread its money around in MLB free agency.
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