"It would be Warriors got Kevin Durant, LeBron James" - Sportscaster claims potential Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani pairing has no equivalent
The thought of Juan Soto joining a team like the LA Dodgers, featuring Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, is inconceivable for pitchers. For popular sportscaster Rich Eisen, the scenario has no equivalent in any other team sport.
On Tuesday's episode of his "Rich Eisen Show," the sportscaster expressed dissatisfaction with Soto meeting the Dodgers as a diehard Yankees fan. During the show, fellow sportscaster Chris Brockman compared Juan Soto's potential move to the LA Dodgers to when Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
However, Eisen disagreed with the analogy and provided a better take on Soto joining the Dodgers.
"It would have been the year after they [Warriors] got [Kevin] Durant if they got LeBron [James] too. That's the difference, okay?" Eisen said [1:40]. "Ohtani joined a team that hadn't won a championship yet, and I understand the Warriors had already won a championship when Durant joined," Eisen added.
The sportscaster explained, using another NBA analogy, how the Dodgers acquired Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and potentially Soto.
"This one would be as if the Warriors took Steph Curry from the Celtics, right? And they took Draymond Green from the Hawks. You see where I'm going with this? With Mookie and Freeman just pulling," Eisen said [2:05].
"They're just pulling guys right and left. And then they went ahead and got the next two best NBA players in back-to-back seasons. There is no comparison to any other sport if Juan Soto signs with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after they win the World Series going away," Eisen added.
Eisen ponders Dodgers lineup featuring Juan Soto
Eisen seemed terrified of Juan Soto in the Dodgers lineup and expressed his feelings on his show.
"So, hold on a minute, just so I can compute this Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Soto. Is that where it would go?" said Eisen [2:45]. "Will Smith maybe...Freeman bats fourth, yeah. Oh yeah, 'cause Soto needs some protection. Bats third, yeah, right."
"Like Aaron Judge wasn't enough protection for him if he goes to the Dodgers. Okay, that's not okay. As a matter of fact, that's just a phrase," Eisen added.
Nevertheless, the sportscaster found an alternative plan if Soto didn't re-sign with the Yankees. Eisen found Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso, and Teoscar Hernadez, three free agents, a good fit for the Bronx Bombers.
The sportscaster pointed to Bregman as a Derek Jeter fan and his grandfather as a diehard fan as motivating factors for the LSU alum's potential move to New York. Despite being a Jeter fan, Bregman has previously talked about the Bombers being an Evil Empire.