Why David Ortiz believes Juan Soto could follow in his footsteps if he signs with Red Sox
"If there was one player in baseball who could be the next David Ortiz in Boston, it is Juan Soto."
The Red Sox’ pursuit of Juan Soto seems to have David Ortiz giddy.
Ortiz shared with WEEI’s Rob Bradford that he was actually with Soto’s mother and brother the night before the Red Sox’ reported meeting with the superstar outfielder. Ortiz also mentioned to Bradford that he and Soto each have a residency in the same building.
Now, the Red Sox icon is hoping that the Soto will also make Fenway Park his professional home, just like Ortiz did when he signed with the team in 2003.
“I’m telling you. We would have Manny [Ramirez] and Papi for the left side,” Ortiz told Bradford, referring to current Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers.
“If there was one player in baseball who could be the next David Ortiz in Boston, it is Juan Soto. He’s that good. He’s got great makeup.”
While Devers has been named an All-Star in three of the last four seasons, the Red Sox have lacked that MVP-level of player since they traded Mookie Betts in 2020. Betts was the team’s last MVP winner, winning it in 2018, while Xander Bogaerts’s fifth-place finish in 2019 was the last time the team had a player finish in the top five in voting.
Soto, 26, actually hasn’t won an MVP, but he’ll finish in the top five in MVP voting for the third time in four years when the results are announced later in November. But as Soto has dominated at the plate, Ortiz thinks his impact transcends his stats.
“If there is a guy I would like to build a team around it would have to be Juan Soto,” Ortiz told Bradford. “Juan Soto speaks Spanish and he speaks English so he can communicate with both American and Latin players. He has that good vibe. I tell you what, the Yankees went that far this year because of him. He changed everything for them there. When you have a top player doing the things that he does, everybody follows up. That’s what they did over there. At the end of the day, he has incredible makeup.”
To Ortiz’s point, the Yankees went from missing the playoffs to winning the AL East and reaching the World Series after acquiring Soto this past offseason. New York getting another dominant year from Aaron Judge and improved performances from its pitching staff certainly helped that, but Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 to go with 41 homers and 109 RBIs.
Soto already has tremendous pedigree for someone his age as well. He hit five homers in the Nationals’ 2019 postseason run to help them win the World Series. Three years later, he helped the Padres upset the Dodgers in the NLDS after getting traded at the deadline.
Ortiz had a similar impact in Boston. He immediately helped the team become a contender when he signed with the Red Sox in 2003, reaching the ALCS that season before winning the World Series in 2004. In addition to becoming one of the best hitters in baseball between 2003-16, Ortiz’s personality and leadership were viewed as reasons why the Red Sox were able to win two more titles later in his career.
As Ortiz compared Soto to himself, the star slugger’s career trajectory might match another Red Sox icon. Soto’s ability to get on base and hit homers has caused some to compare him to Ted Williams. They’re just two of four players to ever hit 200-plus homers and walk over 700 times in their first 930 career games.
But the possible allure of playing in the organization where Ortiz became an all-time great could draw Soto to signing with Boston. He was “impressed” with the Red Sox during his three-hour meeting with the team on Thursday, MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported Friday. The presentation reportedly included a video of how Ortiz and other Dominican stars have thrived with the Red Sox.
Soto, a Dominican native, said in 2021 that the Red Sox were his favorite team growing up.
“My favorite MLB team was always Boston because of the Dominicans who played with them: Manny Ramírez, David Ortiz and Pedro [Martinez]. The Red Sox have always been my favorite team,” Soto told Hector Gomez.
Ortiz reportedly wasn’t a part of the Red Sox’ meeting with Soto in Southern California on Thursday. Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, CEO Sam Kennedy, manager Alex Cora, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow reportedly represented the team at the meeting while owner John Henry wasn’t in attendance.
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