MLB insider explains one ridiculous way Dodgers would get involved in Juan Soto market

The Juan Soto sweepstakes have officially commenced, with new reports guestimating that he'll make a decision and sign with a team possibly even before the Winter Meetings start on Dec. 9. Teams have been lining up to meet with him to make their cases, and multiple owners and team representatives have scheduled their trips out to southern California to meet with Soto and agent Scott Boras.

Jeff Passan, who has been one of the more prominent naysayers in the Dodgers' alleged Soto pursuit, laid out a general schedule for these meetings. According to Passan, the Blue Jays will make their pitch first, followed by the Red Sox, Mets, and finally the incumbent Yankees getting the final word.

Conspicuously absent from that list are the Dodgers, whose recent decision to move Mookie Betts back to the infield immediately gave fans hope that they would go get Soto to install in right field.

But Passan didn't just stop short of listing the Dodgers as a serious contender with a meeting on the books. He wrote, "Other teams have shown interest but could be priced out. The Los Angeles Dodgers won't chase after Soto — Shohei Ohtani's presence at designated hitter would leave them with limited options should Soto's defensive range force a move — but would gladly consider him in the unlikely event his market softens" (subscription required).

Jeff Passan kills Dodgers' fans dreams of Juan Soto coming to LA in free agency

The idea of Soto's market softening is laughable. Boras screwed up multiple clients' markets last season — Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, JD Martinez, and Jordan Montgomery all had to settle for what were ostensibly one-year deals — but none even come close to Soto's heights and hype. There's no way any interested team would low-ball him, because another interested suitor would be right behind them, ready to give him the kind of money he's looking for.

The thing is: the Dodgers don't really need Soto, so if Passan is correct, it would make sense that they're willing to wait for the incredibly unlikely event that he becomes cheaper deeper into the offseason. If they re-sign Teoscar Hernández, that's left field settled; if they keep right field open, that could be a full-time job for Andy Pages or a significantly cheaper but still efficient free agent outfielder.

Of course, there would be something incredibly satisfying about seeing Soto in Dodger blue. It would be the perfect statement to make against the recently toppled Padres and Yankees, and it would only make the superteam that much more super. Still, the Dodgers don't need to put all of their eggs into his basket.