The Boston Red Sox look to be one of the final teams in the mix for superstar Juan Soto. While the Red Sox had a disappointing showing in 2024, there’s reason for optimism moving forward.
The ball club has money to spend, a decent core, and a massive collection of young talent who could either eventually make an impact at the big league level or be traded for proven Major League talent.
If Soto believes the Red Sox would offer him an opportunity to win a World Series moving forward and the money is right, Fenway Park might be where he ends up.
Former Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez believes it’ll happen, predicting Soto would land with Boston this winter.
“My one bold prediction (is) that the Red Sox go and get Juan Soto,” Martinez said on October 24 during an episode of a Bleacher Report live stream. “He would be very welcome in Boston; the kind of bat and power that we need. Just in case it doesn’t work out with the Yankees, which I think it will… but New England would go cuckoo bananas. I would be jumping on top of the dugout.”
Red Sox Are One of Four Teams Remaining for Soto
The teams interested in Soto are expected to make offers to the slugger this week, giving the Boston Red Sox and other clubs an opportunity to show him why they want him.
Those deals will all be expensive, and while a decision isn’t expected to be dragged out like other top free agents in the past, it remains uncertain when Soto plans to pick a team.
However, there was good news for the Red Sox on November 25. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that they’re one of the final four teams “seriously in play” for the left-handed slugger.
“There really are only four teams that are seriously in play for Soto: The Mets, the Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox,” Nightengale wrote.
The Red Sox met with Soto in mid-November, and according to reports, their meeting “went well.” That’s yet another good sign that the Red Sox might poach the New York Yankees star.
“(The Red Sox’s) meeting with Soto went well, as they sought to convince him that the special talent in their system will allow them to spend on free agents and trade acquisitions over the next several years,” wrote Jim Bowden of The Athletic on November 21. “Soto was impressed with that aspect of their presentation, according to a league source briefed on the meeting.”
Soto Contract Prediction
If the Boston Red Sox are serious about winning, there’s a price tag that comes with it. For Soto, that price is expected to be well above $500 million, and some even expect it to be more than $600 million.
However, the Red Sox are all but guaranteed to make much more money during his contract than they’d hand out. Soto is a generational talent who’d bring fans to the yard, and while it isn’t like the Red Sox need help putting fans in seats, he’d be a big money maker.
Bowden predicted he’d land a 15-year, $622 million deal, reaching about $41.5 million AAV.
“Has Juan Soto found his permanent home with the Yankees? Can they keep him after a strong platform year? He certainly lived up to expectations in his first year in the Bronx, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and a league-leading 128 runs scored…
“By all indications, he’s poised to become the second-highest-paid player in baseball history, behind only Shohei Ohtani. He’s a generational talent who will hit free agency at only 26 and should be able to land a 15-year deal. Most executives believe he’ll end up somewhere between $550 million and $650 million,” Bowden wrote on October 31.”
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