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The Boston Red Sox have been one of the loudest teams this offseason, as they have signaled on multiple occasions that they are willing and able to spend big in free agency to elevate the team back into World Series contention. And the Red Sox's grand ambitions have taken them into contention for the services of the undisputed best free agent in the market, right fielder Juan Soto.
Soto, however, is being pursued by many big-market teams, and it's far from a guarantee for the Red Sox to be the team that snatches him away from the New York Yankees. Thus, it's no surprise that Boston is already planning their backup option in the event that Soto signs elsewhere.
As per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Red Sox's primary backup plan if they don't land Soto is for them to pursue one of the best left-side infielders on the market, with Willy Adames and Alex Bregman being their main secondary options.
Of course, Adames and Bregman don't play the same position that Soto does, which could make it a bit confusing why the Red Sox would pursue this route. But Rosenthal noted that the outfield market in free agency isn't the deepest and that demand for quality outfielders exceeds the supply.
Thus, the Red Sox could still bolster the team by adding one of Adames or Bregman, especially when they have been considering moving Rafael Devers across the diamond to first base.
While Adames and Bregman aren't the quality of player that Soto is, getting either one of them should still be a major boon for the Red Sox, as both will improve the team's defense.
Red Sox look for major splash in free agency
Grabbing Juan Soto in free agency is still the Red Sox's best-case scenario; an outfield trio of Soto, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu should be one of the best and most well-rounded in the MLB. But Boston is competing with the likes of the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers, just to name a few, for Soto's services, so pulling this move off is far from a guarantee.
Still, it should be music to Red Sox fans' ears to hear that their team is willing to pull out all the stops to bolster a team that typified mediocrity in 2024. They went 78-84 in 2022 and 2023 and then posted an 81-81 record last season, but adding a few quality players should at least help them get over that .500 hump.
