The Boston Red Sox are rumored to be making a powerful charge for Juan Soto, per ESPN. The Red Sox is one of several teams hoping to snag the top prize of free agency this Major League Baseball offseason.
The Red Sox are meeting with Soto this week, to try and hash out a deal. Boston is also looking for some starting pitching in the free agency market, per the outlet.
The Red Sox are coming off of a disappointing season, that saw the club finish the year with a 81-81 record. Boston is trying to catch up to both the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees in the American League East division. The Red Sox last made the postseason in 2021.
Juan Soto has at least three teams from the AL East that want him
Soto says he is open to offers from all MLB teams this offseason, but there are truly only a select few that can afford to sign him. The slugger's next contract could cost a team as much as $500 million. That's just an estimate, but there's no doubt that Soto will make bank in his next deal.
Soto just finished his first season playing for the New York Yankees. He hit 41 home runs for the Bronx Bombers this year, while hitting in 109 runs. The Yankees are pushing hard to re-sign him, but the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are also in the mix.
There are at least two others as well, now that the Red Sox are a player. The Toronto Blue Jays are making a strong push for Soto, and are also meeting with him this week. So the Yankees actually have to fend off two other teams in their division for Soto's services.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have also been interested in the slugger for months, but latest reports indicate they are starting to slow down their pursuit. That's because of the uncertainty of where they can use him, as well as the amount they have already committed to Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Soto has played for the Yankees, as well as the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres. The slugger has been selected to participate in the last four All-Star games. He's won the Silver Slugger Award four times, and he finished the 2020 season as the National League batting champion.
Time will tell where Soto ends up signing, but there's no doubt a lot of movement happening.