Insider Denies Dodgers' Pursuit of Yankees' Juan Soto

One of baseball's most reliable insiders doesn't believe the Yankees' slugger will head west.

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) walks during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a major threat towards both of the New York Yankees' major goals - but they appear to only be able to thwart one of them.

The first goal for the Yankees is a World Series title; at this point, they would need to challenge history, as the Dodgers have taken a commanding 3-0 series lead and are just one win away from claiming the title for themselves.

As for the second goal, the Yankees are looking to keep superstar outfielder Juan Soto in pinstripes for the foreseeable future, but the New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote in an article on Sunday that the Dodgers plan to enter the offseason bidding war for the slugger's services, which will once again place them in direct competition with the Bronx Bombers.

However, arguably baseball's most dependable insider splashed cold water on that report, to the relief of Yankee fans.

ESPN's Jeff Passan participated in Monday's episode of The Michael Kay Show as a guest and was asked by show host Michael Kay (who is the Yankees' play-by-play announcer on YES Network) about the reports of the Dodgers' pursuit of Soto; the insider subsequently gave a one-word answer - "Nope."

"The truth of the matter is, if Juan Soto signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers there will be a feeling of great imbalance in the sport," Passan elaborated. "Beyond the fact that I don't think he wants to go to California - he's done that. It's a really long way from the Dominican Republic, and he likes New York.

"There will be conversations [with the Dodgers] because of course there will be conversations. There has to be conversations because it'd be dumb if you're the Dodgers and don't inquire about Juan Soto. But signing him, at the end of the day, I just don't see that happening."

Michael Kay: "There were reports today, Jeff that the Dodgers will go hard after Juan Soto, do you believe that to be true?"

Jeff Passan: "Nope." pic.twitter.com/UQEZl3iWtj

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 28, 2024

Passan finished his analysis of the situation by stating his prediction of the Soto situation: the two teams most likely to sign him are the Yankees and the cross-town Mets. Nonetheless, the 44-year-old insider still acknowledged the Dodgers' role in at least entering the sweepstakes even if they don't plan to seriously pursue Soto, which the outfielder could use as leverage to get a better deal. In that regard, Heyman is still correct in that the Dodgers will get in talks with Soto, but for all intents and purposes, they aren't one of the teams the Yankees should be worried about, contrary to Heyman's report.

Soto was one of the biggest reasons why the Yankees made it to the World Series in the first place, and even if they fall short (which appears to be most likely), they would love to keep the Dominican phenom in the Bronx for the next decade and a half. Once the Fall Classic officially concludes, the Yankees will immediately shift gears and begin negotiations with their superstar, as their championship window depends on whether Soto stays or not.