MLB analyst points "Angels couldn't win with Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani," emphasizing team effort in light of Juan Soto's $600,000,000 deal projection
Juan Soto's free agency continues to drive major headlines in the baseball community. As per the latest reports, the Boston Red Sox have offered the outfielder a contract worth around $600 million, while their competitors, the New York clubs, the Mets and the Yankees, are looking to match it.
Adding someone like Soto to the roster would guarantee a face for any organization for at least the next decade. However, some analysts are still skeptical about the amount of money being offered to him when considering that the same could be utilized to splurge on multiple players.
On the NorCal Sports Network, former LA Dodgers front office boss, Ned Colletti, was asked about his thoughts about the Soto sweepstakes. According to the former general manager, a team will not become an instant World Series contender if it signs the 26-year-old shortstop. It would require an all-round effort from everyone in the organization.
"You can spread that money out pretty well, so even in losing and not signing a player, if your ownership is willing to commit that much and continue to commit that much when Juan's off the board, you've got a lot of things you can fix. Yeah, yeah, would you rather have three really good players or one superstar?" Colleti said. [5:00]
To this, host Dan Coccimigilo gave examples of the LA Angels, who had Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in their prime for at least the first few years of this decade. Yet they were unable to perform well.
"For me, I would go with the three because I think baseball has proven— you know, the Angels proved that they couldn't win with Trout and Ohtani," Coccimigilo said. [5:30]
The domino effect of Juan Soto signing for Red Sox, Yankees or Mets
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal recently wrote an article listing the immense domino effect of Juan Soto's free agency. As the East Coast clubs are investing more than half a billion into one player, that will significantly reduce their chances of signing other top free agents. Having said that, the insider outlined the specific teams' needs and options if they were to pivot from Soto.
As per Rosenthal, the Yankees and Red Sox are in need of infield depth and are looking toward acquiring either or both Willy Adames and Alex Bregman. To fill the place, they were ready to offer Soto in the lineup and could also sign Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander to much shorter solutions.
It is also noteworthy that the amount they invest for the four-time All-Star will also dictate how much teams can spend on their pitching staff. They would need to sign either Corbin Burnes, Max Fried or Jack Flaherty to remain contenders.