The hot rivalry between the Dodgers and Yankees extends far beyond the white lines of their respective stadiums.

The deep-pocketed World Series teams not only have two of the three best payrolls in baseball, but have often coveted the same free agents – with Juan Soto their top target for 2025.

According to Jon Heyman of The New York Postthe Dodgers could prevent Soto from re-signing with the Yankees when his contract expires at the end of the Series.

Los Angeles shocked the baseball world last December by giving Shohei Ohtani a record $700 million contract, carrying $2 million per year well beyond his 10-year tenure, and already has $257.2 million in commitments for 2025, according to Roster Resource.

Contracts for Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are also heavily deferred, leaving enough budget for a long-term signing of Soto that could exceed $500 million — or a guaranteed $50 million per year if little or no money is deferred, which Soto and California-based agent Scott Boras prefer.

Soto, 26, is a left-handed hitter who is coming off a career-best season of 41 homers for the Yankees. New York acquired him from San Diego in a seven-player trade last Dec. 6 — five days before the Dodgers signed Ohtani.

Prospective free agents have five days to negotiate with their current clubs after the end of the World Series, but are then free to sign with other clubs.

The Yankees hope to retain their right fielder, who has provided much-needed power to lefties, but expect stiff competition from other deep-pocketed clubs, including the crosstown Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies , the San Francisco Giants and even the Washington Nationals. , for whom Soto won a World Series ring in 2019.

Now, the Dodgers are likely to join that list — if the Puerto Rican slugger is willing to return to the West Coast, where he once played for the San Diego Padres.

The top free agent on the upcoming market, Soto is virtually certain to land a contract with the most guaranteed upfront money in baseball history. That would eclipse the current $437.8 million value of Ohtani’s deferred deal.

Landing Soto, and perhaps future free agent pitcher and Santa Monica native Max Fried, would push payroll beyond the top $301 million tax penalty tier.

But that doesn’t seem to bother the Dodgers, as they’ve paid the luxury tax for each of the last four seasons.

Ohtani, Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Will Smith are already signed through the end of the decade, while Freeman and Tyler Glasnow are signed through 2027.

Soto earned $31 million in 2024, the final year of his current contract. He’s all but certain to look for a perennial contender for his next stop, with the Yankees, Dodgers and Mets qualifying since all played through October of this season.

If he signed with the Dodgers, Soto would join a long list of players who have worn both uniforms.

Among the 187 players who batted for the Yankees and Dodgers are Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson and Tony Lazzeri, as well as recent stars such as Darryl Strawberry, Willie Randolph, Steve Sax and Jay Johnstone.

The list of pitchers who played for both includes Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance, Hall of Fame candidate Tommy John, as well as Kevin Brown, Al Downing, Tim Leary, Sal Maglie and Andy Messersmith.

The two clubs are frequent rivals for free agents, most notably Ohtani and Yamamoto last winter.