Juan Soto had a birds-eye view of the Dodgers celebrating as World Series champion. Who could blame him if he trades uniforms and plays in Los Angeles next year? Not me.
Juan Soto will be a free agent, and according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Yankees star is eyeing a historic $700 million contract. The Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Phillies, and Cubs are the candidates because they can afford to pay Soto what he wants.
There’s no doubt he will get what he wants. But the big question remains: Who will sign him?
I am not Scott Boras (Soto’s agent) or Soto, but if it were up to me to decide for Soto, I’d pick the Dodgers. The Dodgers are a well-oiled machine. They boast a great offense. They have pitchers who can pitch. They are the World Champions today. They can be a dynasty. They have a farm system to produce players, and they make seasonal acquisitions with financial resources to improve the team. Imagine being in a lineup stacked with Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, Kiki Hernandez, and others. Then, imagine not feeling the pressure he experienced with the Yankees. Why wouldn’t somebody of Soto’s stature want to play for them?
If that’s not enough of a case to become a Dodger, here are four more reasons.
–First, players know the job is hard enough as it is. The last thing they want to do is talk to the media and account for themselves, and the LA media don’t make games a referendum for a player and his team. The LA media and their approach give the Dodgers an advantage over other big-market teams when it comes to signing free-agent players.
–Second, LA fans don’t treat baseball as life and death as fans do in New York. Fans are likelier to leave players alone, which differs from New York’s constant stream of criticism.
–Third, there’s the weather. ‘Nuff said on that matter.
–Fourth, Soto isn’t from New York and didn’t grow up a Yankee fan. He came to New York via the business of baseball, a contract that both sides fulfilled. So, despite what Michael Kay and Suzyn Waldman have suggested, Soto doesn’t owe the Yankees anything. If Soto signs with the Yankees, it’s because he wants to be the guy who ends their 15-year championship drought, and it would mean he is all-in when it comes to the pressure that comes with playing in the city.
But he can join a team that has already won a championship and is primed to win more. That’s a big reason why Los Angeles is the place to be.
