Let’s talk about a fascinating hypothetical: what would baseball’s version of the Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade look like? The NBA world lit up when the Mavericks and Lakers pulled off their blockbuster, and there’s an interesting MLB parallel worth exploring.
Newsweek’s Zach Pressnell suggests it’d be something like the Dodgers sending Freddie Freeman to the Mets for Juan Soto. That’s the kind of deal that’d make baseball Twitter explode.
“In this scenario, Soto is the equivalent of Doncic. Both are top three to five players in their respective sports, but they have flaws,” Pressnell writes. “For Doncic, it’s seemingly his weight, effort, and defense. For Soto, it’s his defense and baserunning. Soto is never going to be a Gold Glove-level outfielder or a player who steals 40 bases in a year. But he’s 26 years old and has the potential to be a top-ten hitter in the history of baseball.”
The parallels are pretty striking when you break it down. Both Soto and Dončić are young superstars with generational offensive talent that overshadows their defensive limitations. They’re franchise-altering players who haven’t yet hit their prime.
On the flip side, Freeman mirrors Davis as an established veteran who excels on both sides of the ball. They’re both champions who bring that winning pedigree, though Freeman’s durability gives him an edge over the oft-injured Davis.
There’s one key difference worth noting: while both Soto and Dončić have led their teams to the championship round, Soto’s got a World Series ring from his time with the Nationals. Dončić is still chasing his first NBA title.
It’s not a perfect comparison – these cross-sport parallels rarely are. But it helps put the magnitude of the NBA trade in perspective for baseball fans. We’re talking about the kind of franchise-altering move that’d dominate headlines for months in MLB circles.
