Los Angeles was looming as a potential dark horse for Soto in free agency, but that appears unlikely now.

World Series – New York Yankees v Los Angeles Dodgers – Game 2 / Harry How/GettyImages

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on top of the baseball world right now. Andrew Friedman and Co. dropped a cool billion dollars to bring Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and other stars to Chavez Ravine, then watched as his team steamrolled the New York Yankees to capture a World Series title. They have the money, they have one of — if not the — best player development machines in the sport and, most importantly, they have the Commissioner’s Trophy in tow.

So it came as no surprise when whispers began to circulate that the Dodgers might make a run at Juan Soto in free agency this winter. L.A. shot the moon last offseason and got rewarded with a title, so why not try it again? Payroll is never an object, especially not with Ohtani deferring most of his contract, and the Dodgers can pitch Soto on making oodles of money in a great market with great weather while playing for the league’s model franchise. It all seemed so crushingly inevitable; of course Los Angeles would get its way; they’re the Dodgers, after all.

Thankfully for the rest of the league, though, it seems like this winter’s doomsday scenario isn’t about to come to pass after all. Much is still left to be determined in the Soto sweepstakes, but recent reports suggest that a move to L.A. isn’t on the table.

Juan Soto reportedly set on staying on the East Coast

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand offered a Soto update from the GM Meetings on Tuesday, where the general consensus is that this will wind up being a two-horse race between the Yankees and the New York Mets. Per Feinsand, Soto likes being in New York, and while other teams might try to pry him away, they’re fighting an uphill battle.

“It’s the Yankees or the Mets,” one American League executive said when asked to handicap the Soto sweepstakes. “He knows the Yankees well after spending a year there, and Steve Cohen has enough money to give him whatever he wants if he decides he wants him badly enough. It’s tough for me to see Soto winding up anywhere else.”

Feinsand then went on to say that Soto doesn’t appear interested in heading back to South California, adding: “Word is that Soto prefers to stay on the East Coast, which would be an obstacle for the Dodgers or any other West Coast club.”

This is consistent with reporting that surfaced back in October, when word first started getting around that Soto preferred to be on the East Coast. His agent, Scott Boras, quickly tried to shoot that notion down, but that always seemed more like posturing to ensure maximum leverage rather than anything coming from Soto himself. Soto seemed to connect with New York during his one season with the Yankees, and has spent almost his entire professional career in the Northeast. Combine that familiarity with the two New York teams’ ability (and motivation) to outbid any other suitors, and it seems like a safe bet that Soto won’t be leaving Gotham any time soon.