A decision from superstar Juan Soto is expected to happen in the near future, giving the New York Yankees a clear answer on what his future looks like. The Yankees seem to be willing to do whatever it takes to re-sign one of the top players in Major League Baseball, but until he signs a contract, there will be worries about him leaving.
If Soto were to leave the Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets seem to be the next two favorites. The Red Sox have shown a ton of interest in the 26-year-old, and the Mets have been interested in him from the start.
In the latest prediction from Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, Soto would depart the Yankees and not stay in New York. Reuter predicted he’d sign a $675 million deal over 15 years with the Red Sox.
“Even if his contract does not end up exceeding the $700 million deal Shohei Ohtani signed last offseason, so much of that contract was deferred that the present-day value of the deal was assessed at roughly $460 million, which puts into perspective the type of money teams are offering up for Soto’s services.
“All signs point to him making his decision some time between now and the conclusion of the annual winter meetings set to take place next week, and that should set off a flurry of secondary activity on the offseason market,” Reuter wrote on December 5.
Red Sox Want to Meet With Soto Again
The Boston Red Sox signing Soto would perhaps be worse for New York Yankees fans than the New York Mets landing him.
As of now, they’re both realistic possibilities, but the Red Sox are intriguing in this situation. They’re likely more than Soto away from winning a World Series in 2025, but their long-term future is favorable, with many of the top prospects in baseball waiting to make their debuts.
Adding Soto, with that young talent, could help the Red Sox return to the top of the baseball world, and they seem to understand that.
“The Red Sox have expressed interest in an additional meeting in which (Scott) Boras and Soto would identify a price that would get a deal done,” The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier wrote on December 5. “It’s unknown if such a meeting has been or will be granted.”
Are the Red Sox Being Used as Leverage?
Leverage is the name of the game for agents, especially one as prominent as Scott Boras. Boras is widely regarded as the top agent in baseball, constantly getting his clients paid.
If he wants Soto to play for the New York Yankees, he’s doing everything in his power to make them up their offer. While the Boston Red Sox interest is real, there’s a scenario where Soto doesn’t have much interest in playing for them, and Boras is looking to up the Yankees’ price.
“This feels like a big smokescreen. Get the Blue Jays (and Red Sox?) involved to scare the Yankees about having to face him in the AL East for the next decade-plus. Get the Mets involved because they have the most money — and because the Yankees won’t want to lose him to the Mets and see him on the back pages for the next decade-plus,” Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote on December 5.
From Feinsand’s perspective, he believes he’ll return to the Yankees and won’t assume otherwise until Soto puts on a different jersey.
“I won’t count the Yankees out of this race until I see Soto put on another jersey at a press conference next week in Dallas.”
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Yankees’ Juan Soto Predicted to Sign $675 Million Deal With Hated Rival