"Get Juan Soto back, move Jazz Chisholm Jr. at 2nd base" - MLB sportscaster urges Yankees fight 'fire with fire' to counter Dodgers’ spending spree
The LA Dodgers have reportedly signed Blake Snell for a five-year contract worth $182 million. With them reportedly also in hunt for Juan Soto this offseason, Rich Eisen wants New York Yankees to flex some of their financial power as well.
The Dodgers and the Yankees are both big-market teams with money flushing every game they played. This in turn helps them to get an edge over smaller market teams and over the last few years, the gap has only widened. Just last offseason, the Dodgers spent over billion dollars to bolster their lineup. They have made the first nine-figure splash this offseason and Eisen feels Yankees should also do the same.
"Yankees need to add Juan Soto," Eisen said in a clip of "The Rick Eisen Show" posted on Wednesday on YouTube (3:15 onwards). "They're going to get Soto back; they’ve got to move Jazz Chisholm to second. And I’ll say, you know, Cooper told me last night—because he's as locked in as anyone else—that Nolan Arenado is on the block. You know, go get him or Alex Bregman. Put a massive hitter who makes a gajillion dollars at third. That’s the way you’ve got to fight fire with fire here. You have to.
"And then have them say, 'Do you want to defer the money? Do you want to come and set up your future? Do you want to have your retirement plan set up?' How do you say that to a 26-year-old in Juan Soto, though? That’s the problem. That’s the problem. And when I say 'problem,' it’s a problem for anybody trying to beat them. It’s a problem for anyone trying to match them."
Phillies have asked for a meeting with Juan Soto
Shortly after Juan Soto had a meeting with the Boston Red Sox, several teams, especially the New York Yankees, reportedly upped their offer more in line with the outfielder's expectation. Another team that seeks to enter the sweepstakes is the Philadelphia Phillies, another big market team that is ready to splurge this offseason, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
"There was a report just a few days ago that the Phillies have not met with Juan Soto yet. They're going to meet with him at some point. But also that they haven't communicated at all with Scott Boras or anybody associated with Scott Boras," Zolecki said on The Phillies Show on Wednesday.
"I've been told that — no surprise, that they've communicated with Scott Boras about Juan Soto and others. I can tell you that they have not met with him. They expect to meet with him at some point. I don't know when that will be."
If the Phillies enter the fray as well, it could possibly ignite a bidding war for the prized free agent. At the moment, some offers have been made but it doesn't feel a deal is happening anytime soon.