During Major League Baseball’s All-Star festivities, New York Yankees star Juan Soto was asked a simple question. Which MLB player he’s never played with would he most like to team up with?
What was his answer? Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ superstar.
“Ohtani would be one of them,” Soto explained. “Now he went to the NL, and I went to the AL, so it’s been a bit hard. But certainly Ohtani would be one of them.”
Ohtani, being one of baseball’s finest and most unusual players, is likely to be a popular choice for this topic. Ohtani is the most successful two-way player in history, and this year he is having an incredible offensive season as a hitter.
Ohtani has been slashing for 94 games.316/.400/.635 with 29 homers, 69 RBI, and an OPS of 1.035. He leads the National League in slugging %, OPS, runs scored (75), total bases (235), and, despite not playing defence, fWAR (5.2).
On top of that, Ohtani has a fantastic personality and is one of the nicest players in the league. Why wouldn’t anyone want to play with him?
Soto, on the other hand, is probably the best young superstar in baseball. The 25-year-old is slicing.295/.426/.558, with 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, and an OPS of.985. He’s one of the main candidates for AL MVP and ranks fourth in the league in terms of fWAR (5.5).
With Soto and Ohtani on the same team, they would make one of the best duos in league history. And, theoretically, it is possible this offseason.
Soto is in his final year of team control and is poised to hit free agency this offseason. The Dodgers are one of the few teams that have spent enough in the past to show they can sign Soto, who is anticipated to receive a contract worth at least $500 million.
Would the Dodgers be willing to spend another $500 million or more in an offseason after already spent more than $1 billion? And would Soto ever contemplate returning to the West Coast after his success in New York?
All of this remains to be seen, but it should be entertaining for Dodger fans to ponder about.
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