New York Yankees’ Juan Soto Adds Fuel to Free Agency Fire With Shohei Ohtani Answer

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto had an interesting comment about Shohei Ohtani at the All-Star Game.

Jul 12, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) singles during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The talk of the season for the New York Yankees has been all about what Juan Soto is going to do at the end of the season.

There's a scenario where the front office might need to give him nearly $600 million to keep him around, a price they should be willing to pay considering what he brings to the Yankee lineup.

It's almost unheard of to think about a player getting $600 million, but after Shohei Ohtani received $700 million last offseason, nothing should be surprising anymore.

There's also a chance that the Yankees don't meet his asking price, which would cause a rightful uproar from a fan base that's desperate to win a World Series. It has been way too long since New York was at the top, and losing Soto in the offseason, if they come up short this year, wouldn't help their chances of ending a 15-year title drought.

But, just like every player represented by super agent Scott Boras, they're going to seek top dollar on the market.

Soto added some fuel to the rumors of him potentially leaving on Monday. He was asked who he'd want to play with that wasn't on the Yankees, and he said Los Angeles Dodgers superstar DH/starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani.

"I mean, Ohtani would've been one of the best. Now, he went to the NL, I went to the AL, so, it's tricky. But definitely, Ohtani would be one of them."

After being asked about Steph Curry and LeBron James playing on the same team with Team USA, Juan Soto is asked about an MLB player he'd like to play on the same team with:

"[Shohei] Ohtani would be one of them - he went to the NL and I went to the AL, so it's tricky" pic.twitter.com/wsziMp4p6e

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 15, 2024

While he didn't specifically say anything about leaving the Bronx, if there were to be a team that could persuade him to leave, it'd be the Dodgers.

He played in California down the stretch of 2022 post-trade deadline and last season with the San Diego Padres, and living in the state certainly has its perks. New York has everything anyone could want, but Soto could potentially prefer the weather in California and a different lifestyle.

The Yankees can't lose him to Los Angeles for a number of reasons. For one, it'd make them a worse team. More importantly, they should be spending just as much, if not more, than the Dodgers since New York is the biggest market in the world.

While Los Angeles hasn't exactly found a great deal of postseason success as of late, outside of winning a World Series in the 2020-Covid season, their plan has been sustainable.

They aren't afraid to spend on free agents to make their team better. New York has taken a similar approach, but the players the Dodgers have landed put them in a different category.

Winning often can solve all, so the Yankees are hoping they can be crowned champions this year thus showing Soto why he should finish his career in pinstripes.