Juan Soto is about to become a very rich man.
The Yankees standout is one of the sport's best hitters, finishing the first half of the season with a .295/.426/.558 slash line and 5.5 fWAR, the fourth-best mark in MLB.
His 2024 numbers are right in line with his career figures; Soto has a career OPS+ of 158, meaning he's been 58 percent better than the league average hitter since making his big league debut back in 2018.
At just 25, Soto finds himself chasing ghosts He's on pace to be one of the greatest hitters in league history. Possessing such a skillset at his relatively tender age seemingly presupposes future success. As such, Soto figures to garner a bidding war not unlike the one Dodgers supernova Shohei Ohtani conjured up a few months ago.
Juan Soto free agency
Soto and Ohtani are more alike than you think. The two are more like luminaries than they are ballplayers. They're some of the greatest left-handed hitters to grace the diamond, and they should receive the two biggest contract in league history (once Soto inks his deal).
That's not the only similarity Soto sees between him and Ohtani, however. He also seeks to share a team with Ohtani, he revealed during a pre-All-Star Game press conference.
When discussing which players he desires to share a lineup with at one point, Soto was adamant.
"I mean, Ohtani would have been one of the best," Soto said. "Now he went to the NL and I went to the AL, so, been a little tricky. But definitely Ohtani would be one of them."
Yankees fans, look away...
Soto and Ohtani have just missed out on teaming up with one another over the years. Both made waves on the West Coast, with Ohtani capturing two MVPs during his time with the Angels. He very well could add another one with the Dodgers this year.
Soto's foray into the NL West wasn't quite as prosperous. Despite placing sixth in NL MVP voting last year, Soto's time with the Padres — who acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Nationals — ended with precious little postseason success, especially when considering the amount of talent San Diego had at its disposal.
Ohtani is in the first year of a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers. If Soto were to partner up with the Japanese ace and slugger during their collective primes, that would likely require Soto to sign on with Los Angeles.
Given Los Angeles' propensity to throw big-money deals at top-level talents, that might not be an impossibility, either. At present, Soto mans right field. That role is currently filled on the Dodgers' depth chart by Teoscar Hernandez, a two-time All-Star slated to compete in the Home Run Derby.
Hernandez isn't the rangiest of outfielders. However, he's adept at playing both corners in the grass, meaning Soto could theoretically find an open vacancy for himself in the team's outfield formation. His offensive production would more than justify it, too; since his debut, Soto has finished the year with an OPS above .900 in all but one season.
New York still finds itself in prime position to make a play for its youthful standout, who has formed quite the partnership with Aaron Judge.
But if Soto wants Ohtani, he certainly can come find him. Baseball fans the world over would be more than pleased with such a move, too.
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