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Earlier on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that free agent sensation Juan Soto had now received contract offers of at least $600 million from all five of the teams known to be pursuing him. Those would be the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.
However, Rosenthal also quoted Soto’s agent Scott Boras as saying that the Dominican-born superstar had already begun the proces of eliminating some of those teams from his list of possible destinations for 2025 — and beyond, because according to the Athletic report, Soto’s contract is likely to commit him to his next destination for the next 12 seasons. That would take him to the age of 38.
Rosenthal did not offer any further specifics, leaving fans and possibly even executives of those five teams wondering whether their organization remained in the running, or if Soto for whatever reason had ruled them out.
Red Sox Fans Can Stop Worrying, Team is Still In the Hunt
Fans of the Boston Red Sox, however, can stop worrying. At least, if a report published Wednesday afternoon by The Boston Globe is correct.
“According to major league sources, the Sox are not among the teams that have been eliminated. Instead, they remain in the hunt for the 26-year-old, who has forged a .285/.421/.532 line with 201 home runs,” wrote Globe columnist Alex Speier, in the report. “Many in the industry expect Soto to make his decision by next week’s Winter Meetings in Dallas, with some speculation that he could choose this week. Either way, at a time when a decision appears to be drawing nearer, the Red Sox remain a factor.”
Another Red Sox reporter, Mario Pepén who covers the team for outlets in the Spanish-language market, added that the Red Sox would be eliminated only if bidding for Soto reached a figure that started with the number seven.
“I’ve been talking for days about the $600MM offer and the Mets being the favorites. Now I’ll add that the RedSox will keep fighting as long as the $700MM range isn’t reached,” Pepén wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Red Sox Pursuit of Soto Leaves Yankees ‘Stressed’
Gabrielle Star, a Red Sox reporter for the Boston Herald, also indicated that the Red Sox remain major players in the Soto sweepstakes, when she appeared on the Foul Territory podcast.
“I’ve heard that the Yankees are definitely more stressed about the Red Sox than they ever thought that they would be in the Soto sweepstakes,” Starr said on the podcast. Her statment echoed a report earlier in the week by Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media — a reporter who focuses on the teams in the New York market.
“The Yankees are still hopeful of re-signing Soto, but they’re now more worried about their AL East rival Red Sox than the crosstown rival Mets, who have the richest owner in Steve Cohen,” Miller stated on Monday.
In addition, Red Sox WEEI.com reporter Rob Bradford, host of the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast, reported Wednesday that the Red Sox are now seeking to add a starting pitcher to their rotation via the trade route. In his Globe article, Speier wrote that signing Soto would increase the likelihood that the Red Sox would make a trade for a top starter.
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Juan Soto Has Not Ruled Out Red Sox, Boston in Play to Land Star, Sources Say