Dodgers terrify rivals by reportedly crashing Juan Soto party with late meeting

Rumors of the Dodgers' involvement in the pursuit for Juan Soto have been a mixed bag. Right after the World Series ended, Jon Heyman initially reported that LA would be in line to speak with him "if he was interested," but Jeff Passan countered, saying that he didn't believe the Dodgers would be in the running, and even doubled down in recent days to say that they'd only engage if Soto's market softened.

He also reported the order in which Soto would meet with clubs, a list that the Dodgers were conspicuously not on.

But still, there was a subtle sign that they were at least going to try. They announced intentions to move Mookie Betts back to the infield, clearing up the two corner outfield spots, which immediately got Dodgers fans thinking. After all, one of those spots could go back to Teoscar Hernández, and one could go to Soto.

On Monday night, Mark Feinsand reported that Soto had already met with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Mets, and Yankees — all the usual suspects who were also listed in Passan's report — but that the Dodgers would also be meeting with him, maybe as early as Tuesday.

Dodgers reportedly set to enter Juan Soto sweepstakes, with a meeting set for Tuesday

Maybe Passan underestimated exactly how much money the Dodgers have and exactly how willing they are to use it but, to be fair, there are reasons why they'd want to stay away. They don't like dealing with agent Scott Boras, who's infamously bullish on big, long-term deals. They already spent over $1 billion last offseason, and so it would've made sense if they wanted to pump the brakes a little bit.

But Shohei Ohtani deferred 97% of his $700 million deal for a reason, and it was hard to figure why LA would move Betts back to the infield — a major defensive downgrade — if they weren't going to at least try to accommodate perhaps the most exciting post-Mike Trout outfielder in the game. Why not just try?

A new rumor suggested that Soto already has an offer worth $660 million from the Mets to consider. It may be one that can only be taken with a grain of salt, but it isn't hard to believe that Soto would command that kind of offer from a team as aggressive as the Mets. If it's true and the Dodgers are still in despite the price, then they could be prepared to rival Ohtani's contract in order to add yet another generational player to a lineup that's already got them stacked up.