"Juan Soto can be like I got $650,000,000 on the table" - Ex-MLB star claims Steve Cohen factor gives massive leverage to superstar free agent

Juan Soto's free agency has been the talk of the MLB community after the festivities associated with the LA Dodgers' World Series triumph concluded. Kevin Kiermaier, who retired after winning the World Series, recently appeared on Corey Kluber's podcast, "Casa De Klub," where he weighed in on Soto's free agency.

On episode 29 of the podcast, released on YouTube on Monday, the four-time Gold Glove winner pointed to the Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays as the teams having the best chance of roping in Soto.

Moreover, he claimed that Mets owner Steve Cohen's wealth would benefit the Dominican to leverage a huge deal.

"It's got to be a big-market team with a lot of dough," Kiermaier said [36:47]. "I think Mets, I think Steve Cohen is going to set the bar high, and then Juan Soto can be like, Hey, I got $650,000,000 on the table, so if you guys don't even think about that, we don't need to have this meeting."

Kiermaier feels the leverage will help the 2019 World Series champion secure a deal on par with Shohei Ohtani's $700,000,000 contract with the Dodgers.

"I think the leverage that he's going to have on all ends, it's going to be incredible. And Shohei being the DH/pitcher [at] $700,000,000 it's unreal. But at the same time, that dude, he can play. He can absolutely hit, and he's a force for sure," Kiermaier said [37:10].

The opinion around Soto's contract is split. Unlike Kiermaier, several MLB analysts and insiders believe the Dominican baseballer's deal won't be close to Ohtani's.

Kiermaier claims Dodgers have a chance to acquire Juan Soto

Even though the Yankees and Mets have the best odds of landing Soto, the LA Dodgers are not too far away. Despite spending $1,000,000,000 in the previous offseason, Ohtani's deferred deal and the subsequent success on and off the field have made the Dodgers a viable franchise to acquire the Dominican's services.

Kiermaier feels the Dodgers have a good chance of acquiring Juan Soto, as evidenced by what he said on the recent "Casa De Klub" podcast episode.

"Hey, don't count the Dodgers out though either, man. They they know how to plan things and work around like the contract stuff," Kiermaier said [37:57].

Nevertheless, the four-time Gold Glove winner believes players are trending in the right direction with massive deals. Moreover, he hilariously claimed he should've focused more on his offense than his defense, hinting it would've helped bag massive deals.