For a long time the New York Yankees had the greatest financial advantage in MLB, but that’s no longer the case, and the new paradigm could cost them Juan Soto.
Most analysts believe that the New York Mets ($305.6 million) and the Los Angeles Dodgers ($249.8 million), which had the highest and third-highest payrolls in the sport last season, respectively, are the prime candidates to pry Soto out of the Bronx, where the Yankees spent the second-most money in baseball ($303.3 million).
However, the Dodgers have one advantage the two big spenders in the Big Apple don’t possess. Star Shohei Ohtani agreed to a $700 million deal last offseason that Los Angeles backloaded so heavily, it frees up the Dodgers to spend even more now. Because of that distinct advantage, Dan LeBatard of the “Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz” podcast contended that the Dodgers are primed to “steal” Soto out from under the almighty Yankees organization.
“Soto wants $600 million, and the Dodgers are the new Yankees,” LeBatard said on Tuesday, November 19. “It’s just crazy to think that they gave that amount of money to Ohtani and his deal was so team-friendly because it’s all on the back end that they could get everybody — they could get everybody in the sport. They can steal the Yankees’ best free agent.”
Leave a Reply