Ex-Dodgers GM claims "people will pay to see Shohei Ohtani play", doubts Juan Soto's marketability amid $700,000,000 contract projections

The bidding war in the Juan Soto sweepstakes is heating up with each passing day as the marquee free agent of this off-season is reportedly projected to match the $700 million contract that Shohei Ohtani signed last summer.

However, former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti believes Juan Soto is not worth the same as Shohei Ohtani. He asserts that the Dodgers signed Ohtani to a record-breaking deal, fully aware that his global appeal would enable them to recoup their substantial investment. Colletti argues that Soto does not have the same marketability, so the Dodgers will not make him the same offer.

Ned Colletti served as the Dodgers' GM from 2005 to 2014. He is also a four-time Emmy-winning baseball analyst and a professor of sports administration at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles County. Coletti gave a video interview with the NorCal Sports Network on Friday where he compared the valuation of Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani as free agents.

"Now does Soto have the same type of marketability outside of the United States? I don't think he does," he continued. "People will pay to go see Ohtani play. There is no doubt. He is what you'd call in the old days a drawing card.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly among the five teams that are actively looking to acquire Soto, but the New York Mets are considered the favorites to land the left-handed slugger.

Dodgers might decide to overpay for Juan Soto in a short-term deal

Juan Soto finished in third place in the 2024 AL MVP voting (Photo Credit: Imagn)

During his interview on NorCal Sports Network, Ned Colletti stated that the Los Angeles Dodgers might not want to sign Juan Soto to a long-term contract due to roster-building concerns rather than financial ones. However, he feels the Dodgers would still like to have him on their team for the next few years, so they may decide to acquire him on a shorter deal but with a higher average annual salary.

"When Shohei doesn't pitch, he's still going to DH," Colletti said. "If you're talking six, eight, ten, twelve, or fourteen years for Juan Soto, some of that is going to be as a DH. Maybe half of it if it is 14, maybe more than half. Who knows? But you only got room for one DH.

So, I think, in the Dodgers' mind [they feel], 'We'll do this short-term, because he can still play in the outfield for us short-term. And we'll overpay for him short-term. We'll give him a chance to go back out there [to free agency].' He's 26 years old; he'll go back there at 29 years," Colletti added.

This could well be the approach the Dodgers take in their efforts to sign Juan Soto. The reigning World Series champions have already added two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell earlier this week.