Juan Soto nearly threatened the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday. Soto recorded the Yankees' first run of the day, hitting the lone home run Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed in the game in the third inning.
Later in the ninth inning, with the Dodgers trailing 4-1, Soto hit a single off Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen. Soto would score a run, and the Yankees had the chance to come back later in the inning with the bases loaded, but Treinen escaped a jam later in the inning to seal a 2-0 lead for the Dodgers in the series.
Soto almost led the Yankees back to a win, but could he be doing the same for the Dodgers next season?
The Dodgers are reportedly interested in signing Soto during the offseason, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The Dodgers are known as an aggressive franchise, and certainly are not afraid of going after the top players in free agency. After all, that's how they acquired superstar Shohei Ohtani and starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason. The Dodgers aren't also afraid to pay these stars, spending over $1 billion in contracts last offseason.
Soto will likely be due for a large extension after making his fourth consecutive MLB All-Star team and helping the Yankees advance to the World Series.
Soto is currently on a one-year, $31 million deal with the Yankees. He joined the Yankees last December after the Padres traded him to New York. When he was still with the Washington Nationals, Soto reportedly turned down multiple contract extensions for over 10 years and $300 million with Washington.
The primary question would be if Soto is interested in joining the Dodgers. Soto previously played on the West Coast with the San Diego Padres, and reportedly prefers the East Coast.
The Yankees and New York Mets are reportedly the top contenders to sign Soto, which would keep the 26-year-old superstar in New York. In his first season as a Yankee, Soto has slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs as well as 109 RBIs.
If the Dodgers were able to sign Soto in the offseason, their already incredible lineup featuring three MVPs would rise to another level. If they signed Soto and re-signed Teoscar Hernández, and those are key "ifs," the Dodgers could become unstoppable in 2025.
