Even before the Juan Soto sweepstakes concluded Sunday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a move of their own that seemed to be their way of indicating they were out of the Soto sweepstakes.
According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the Dodgers agreed to terms on a deal with rival San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto. It’s reportedly a one-year deal worth $17 million.
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Conforto going to the Dodgers, especially while Los Angeles is still in talks on retaining Teoscar Hernández, likely indicated the stacked Dodgers knew they were eliminated from the Soto sweepstakes. Los Angeles wasn’t matching the New York Mets’ offer to Soto, so it pivoted to signing another outfielder for $17 million.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody, as the Dodgers reportedly weren’t in the same ballpark with their contract offers to Soto. Still, the Dodgers spent over a billion dollars last winter, so the chances of them landing Soto remained above zero.
Conforto is a solid pickup as the Dodgers steal the left-handed outfielder from a hated division rival. Last season, Conforto slashed .237/.309/.450 with 20 home runs and 27 doubles. He’ll likely man a starting role for the Dodgers unless they pull off another surprise move.
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