3 Los Angeles Dodgers who won't be back if Juan Soto rumors are actually true

The worst possible team is officially linked to Juan Soto. Yup, that's right - the Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly intending to enter the Juan Soto sweepstakes, according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post.

As fun as it might be to see Soto play with other superstars like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman (to name a few), this move would make what already might be the best team in the league seemingly impossible to beat. That's great for Dodgers fans, obviously, but bad for MLB fans who want to see parity.

If the Dodgers are actually interested in signing Soto and Soto is willing to go back out west, there's no reason to think that this can't happen. Shohei Ohtani deferring most of the $700 million he was set to make with the Dodgers until a decade down the line happened so the Dodgers can make moves exactly like this one.

If it actually does happen that Soto joins this Dodgers superteam, changes will have to be made. The Dodgers are willing to spend a lot - more than virtually any other team out there - but they don't have unlimited funds. A Soto signing would ensure that these three players will not be back for the 2025 campaign.

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3) The Dodgers might not bring Walker Buehler back regardless of whether Juan Soto signs or not

Not too long ago, Walker Buehler was seen as one of the best young pitchers in the game, and for good reason. He was very good in the regular season and found a way to step his game up even further in October. His production recently, though, has lacked, to say the least.

Buehler made just 16 starts this season after missing the entire 2023 campaign recovering from Tommy John Surgery. In those 16 starts, he posted a 5.38 ERA in 75.1 innings of work. His walk rate (8.1 percent) was as high as it has ever been, and his strikeout rate (18.6 percent) was as low as it has ever been. Simply put, he doesn't look close to the ace he once was.

With the right-hander set to hit free agency, he's going to look to sign a prove-it deal with a team willing to give him a rotation spot. The Dodgers should not be that team, whether they sign Soto or not. Given the fact that he's still Walker Buehler and the short-term deal he signs will likely have a high AAV, the Dodgers should be even less interested if they can sign Soto.

He had a great run in Los Angeles, but it certainly feels as if it's time to move on.

2) Jack Flaherty will be priced out of Los Angeles if the Dodgers sign Juan Soto

The Dodgers made several deals at the trade deadline, but perhaps none of them were bigger than the one that saw them acquire Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers. Flaherty, being one of just three healthy starting pitchers on the Dodgers' postseason roster, has been invaluable to this team, even despite some rocky outings in Dodger blue.

While Flaherty came to Los Angeles on an expiring contract, an extension has always made sense. The Dodgers need as much starting pitching as they can get given the fact that virtually every starter on their roster has an extensive injury history, and Flaherty happens to also be from Southern California, growing up as a fan of the Dodgers.

An extension with Flaherty would still be ideal if Soto comes, but given the massive amount of money Soto is going to make, the Dodgers would need to make a cut somewhere. Flaherty won't make nearly as much as Soto, obviously, but he's going to make a lot, coming off one of the best and healthiest seasons of his career.

The Dodgers might be willing to spend on both Soto and Flaherty, but it seems unlikely. With this being Flaherty's best chance to cash in as a free agent, he'll likely get more money elsewhere than the Dodgers would be willing to give him if they also signed Soto.

1) Juan Soto signing would mean that the Dodgers wouldn't need Teoscar Hernandez anymore

It feels crazy to say that a team won't need Teoscar Hernandez - a two-time All-Star who just hit 33 regular season home runs and has hit third and fourth all postseason long - but that absolutely is the case. Why would the Dodgers need to bring Hernandez back if they signed Soto?

If Soto comes, he'd likely be their everyday left fielder. Mookie Betts has made the move back out to right field. Shohei Ohtani is the team's DH. Where would Hernandez play? Sure, the Dodgers could move Betts back to the infield, potentially, or even try Betts out in center field, but the likely scenario is they let Hernandez sign a long-term deal elsewhere.

The 32-year-old settled for a one-year deal to join the Dodgers last offseason coming off a bit of a down year with the Seattle Mariners, but he just had one of his best seasons with the Dodgers - setting a career-high in home runs in the process.

This will be Hernandez's best chance to ink a lucrative multi-year deal. With both corner outfield spots (assuming Soto signs) and the DH position filled in Los Angeles, the Dodgers will be more than fine letting Hernandez go. It's hard to do better than a player like Hernandez, but Soto would obviously be just that, by a substantial margin.