If the Yankees want to dethrone the Dodgers, they may have to out-recruit them this winter.
The Yankees, fresh off of losing the World Series to Los Angeles, are currently focused on re-signing Juan Soto after the right fielder enjoyed a star-studded 2024 campaign in the Bronx. The Bombers, led by Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone, met with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in Southern California on Monday, but they were not the only — or last — team to visit the free agent.
After previously taking meetings with the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Mets, Soto was scheduled to meet with the Dodgers on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. L.A. is not necessarily considered a favorite for the slugger, but Soto has claimed that he’s open to all teams.
With some speculating that he’d rather be on the East Coast, where the Dominican native is closer to family, the 26-year-old also downplayed the idea that he’d like to stay in New York City.
“I don’t think so,” Soto said after the World Series when asked about the belief that he’d like to remain local. “I’m really happy with the city, with the team, how these guys do. At the end of the day, we will see. We are going to look at every situation, every offer that we get and make a decision from there.”
While it would be something of an upset scenario for Soto to return to the West Coast after 1.5 seasons in San Diego, it’s no secret that the Dodgers can throw money around, much like the Mets. Just last winter, L.A. committed $1.4 billion to a free agent class headlined by Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani signed a massive 10-year, $700 million deal, but a lot of that money is deferred. The Japanese star has since been a cash cow in terms of marketing, putting the outfield-needy Dodgers in position to spend big again.
L.A. also been one of baseball’s best teams for several straight years. With a shiny new Commissioner’s Trophy, they can offer annual contention, something Soto has called a priority as he hopes to land a deal worth more than half-a-billion dollars.
The Dodgers can make a similar sales pitch to Roki Sasaki, though he’ll sign a relatively small contract thanks to MLB’s international amateur signing bonus pool rules. With the 23-year-old Japanese ace set to be posted this winter, Los Angeles can also pitch the righty on a team-up with fellow countrymen Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the latter of which the Yankees lost a bidding war for last winter.
While lots of teams will go after Sasaki thanks to the absence of financial restrictions, the Dodgers are considered the favorites. However, the Yankees have been scouting the fireballing righty for years. With both pennant winners expected to pursue the pitcher, another heavyweight free agent fight could take place after Soto’s sweepstakes.
“Obviously, he’s already done quite a bit in Japan,” Aaron Boone recently said of Sasaki. “So we know it’s a unique and special talent, a guy with top of the rotation qualities, so hopefully we’re in the mix with him.
“This is a guy that you can certainly envision coming over here and being an ace and being a dominant starter.”
