On the eve of MLB’s Winter Meetings, two left-handed-hitting outfielders found new homes on the free agent market.
One was the biggest name in the sport this winter, with superstar slugger Juan Soto reportedly agreeing to a staggering 15-year, $765-million contract with the New York Mets.
The other flew under the radar everywhere but Los Angeles, with the Dodgers agreeing to a one-year, $17-million contract with veteran Michael Conforto pending a physical, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
While the Dodgers had been considered one of the finalists for Soto — they met with the four-time All-Star last month and were one of five teams believed to be engaged in his record-setting bidding — the likelihood was always that another team, especially the Mets with their billionaire owner Steve Cohen, would blow well past anything the Dodgers were willing to spend.
So, as Soto’s Mets deal shattered Shohei Ohtani’s previous record total of $700 million (without any of the deferrals Ohtani agreed to with the Dodgers), the Dodgers shifted their focus elsewhere, landing a former All-Star and nine-year veteran in Conforto to give their thin outfield some left-handed-hitting depth.
Conforto, 31, hit .237 with a .759 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 20 homers and 66 RBIs in 130 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2024, the final year of a two-year deal in which he made $18 million last season.
A career .251 hitter with an .804 OPS, 167 homers and 520 RBIs in his career — most of which was spent with the New York Mets before his signing with the Giants two offseasons ago — Conforto is primarily a corner outfielder who has made 133 of his 861 starts in center field.
Conforto has a career .257 average and .838 OPS against right-handed pitchers and a .232 average and .705 OPS against left-handers.
Plate discipline has also been a strength for Conforto, who drew 84 walks in each of the 2018 and 2019 seasons for the Mets. Conforto struck out 118 times and walked 42 times in 488 plate appearances for the Giants last season.
Conforto’s contract with the Dodgers does contain some deferred money, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
