During Major League Baseball’s All-Star festivities, New York Yankees star Juan Soto was asked which MLB player he’d most like to team up with, having never played with them before. His answer was Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.
“Ohtani would be one of them,” Soto said. “Now he went to the NL, I went to the AL, so it’s been a little tricky. But definitely Ohtani would be one of them.”
Ohtani is a likely popular choice for this question, given his status as one of the greatest and most unique players in baseball history. He is the most successful two-way player ever and is having an incredible offensive season this year as a hitter.
Juan Soto revealed that out of all MLB players he’d most want to team up with, Shohei Ohtani is right near the top.
What would you give up to see this duo team up on the Dodgers? 👀
🎥: @snyyankees pic.twitter.com/Y4GEnu2JJB
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) July 15, 2024
Through 94 games, Ohtani boasts a slash line of .316/.400/.635 with 29 home runs, 69 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.035. He leads the NL in slugging percentage, OPS, runs scored (75), total bases (235), and fWAR (5.2) despite not playing any defense. Additionally, Ohtani is known for his great personality and is one of the nicest players in the game, making him a desirable teammate.
Soto, on the other hand, is one of the best young superstars in MLB. The 25-year-old is slashing .295/.426/.558 with 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, and an OPS of .985. He’s one of the leading candidates in the AL MVP race and ranks fourth in fWAR in the entire league at 5.5.
Shohei Ohtani's stats (and NL rank) after the first half of his first Dodgers season:
.316 AVG (2nd)
.400 OBP (4th)
.635 SLG (1st)
29 HR (1st)
69 RBI (3rd)
23 2B (T-7th)
4 3B (T-5th)
51 BB (4th)
23 SB (T-3rd)
75 R (1st)
235 TB (1st)
1.035 OPS (1st)He's the NL MVP front runner. pic.twitter.com/6dcVK8mIZf
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) July 14, 2024
Soto and Ohtani on the same team would create one of the greatest duos in league history. This combination is technically possible this offseason.
Soto is in his final year of team control and is set to hit free agency this offseason. The Dodgers are one of the few teams that have historically spent enough to potentially sign Soto, who is expected to secure a contract of at least $500 million.
Would the Dodgers be willing to spend another $500-plus million an offseason after already spending over $1 billion? And would Soto even consider returning to the West Coast after his success in New York?
All this remains uncertain, but it’s certainly an exciting prospect for Dodgers fans to ponder.
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