Yankees reportedly fear Red Sox ‘more than anyone else’ in Juan Soto sweepstakes
"I think it's gonna come down to the Red Sox and Mets.”
In the history of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, New York has traditionally taken former Boston stars more than the other way around. As Juan Soto’s free agency heats up, the Red Sox might be turning the table on their biggest rival.
The Yankees fear losing Soto to the Red Sox “more than anyone else,” NJ.com’s Randy Miller said on WFAN. Additionally, Miller believes that the Soto sweepstakes might come down to the Red Sox and New York’s other team.
“At the beginning, when I was hearing this from people that know Soto, I was skeptical on this, because I just figured the Red Sox don’t go all in on guys and I figured this was the Mets’ guy all along — and now I’m believing that this is gonna be either the Mets or Red Sox,” Miller told WFAN’s Rickie Ricardo. “I think the Blue Jays are all in and I don’t know that Soto will go there, but I think it’s gonna come down to the Red Sox and Mets.”
Boston has been one of the few teams most heavily linked to Soto in the first month of the offseason. It was one of at least five teams to reportedly meet with him in Southern California in the middle of November. It was also reportedly one of the handful of teams that made him a contract offer this past week.
While the Red Sox haven’t shown a willingness to spend on big free agents in recent years relative to their past, there has been a sense that this offseason might be different. Multiple insiders have said that they’ve heard the Red Sox are serious about majorly improving their roster this offseason. Scott Boras, Soto’s agent, said earlier in November the Red Sox told him that ownership is “committed” and that they’re “wanting to secure high-level players.”
Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy also hinted at the possibility of the team spending a lot of money this offseason. He told The Boston Globe‘s Michael Silverman that the team wants to improve so much “even if it takes us over the [competitive balance tax].” Boston entered the offseason with roughly $70 million in cap room before the first luxury tax threshold.
Of course, the Red Sox have missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and the Yankees made the World Series last year. So, Boston might have to make other appeals to Soto beyond money, and it’s doing that, according to Miller.
“From what I’m hearing, Big Papi (David Ortiz) is playing a role in this and recruiting Soto hard, and I heard he was very impressed with the Red Sox,” Miller said. “I hear the Red Sox are telling Soto that they’re gonna bring in a couple of extra players in addition to him; that’s the same thing that the Giants told [Aaron] Judge [in 2022] and did not live up to it, and that’s a big reason why Judge ended up back with the Yankees a couple of winters ago.
“The Red Sox have a very good farm system — I believe they have three of the top 10 prospects on MLB Pipeline — so their position here if they get Soto and a couple of other guys who have a window to win here is kind of like the Orioles right now.”
Ortiz hasn’t been shy in sharing his desire for Soto to wind up with the Red Sox, even stating that he thinks he’ll end up in Boston when his free agency is over. Soto has previously said that the Red Sox were his favorite team growing up when he was in the Dominican Republic due to Ortiz.
The Red Sox are well-positioned to make upgrades to the roster, too. With the large amount of cap space it has before the first luxury tax threshold, Boston has also been heavily linked to Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, who are two of the top free-agent pitchers this offseason.
If the Red Sox were to sign Soto, they would also be able to be a bit more flexible with trade. With top prospect Roman Anthony likely to be called up in the next year, Boston was already set to have a surplus of outfielders. Signing Soto could make it easier for the Red Sox to part with one of their young outfielders, such as Wilyer Abreu, who has been rumored to be a possible centerpiece in a trade for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet.
Regardless of what the Red Sox do if they were to sign Soto, Miller doesn’t like the Yankees’ chances of keeping the All-Star slugger.
“I think the Yankees are gonna finish fourth, that’s my guess,” Miller said. “From what I hear the Yankees clearly value him, but I don’t think the Yankees will go to $600 million; I’m hearing the Yankees will top out probably in the $550 [million] range, and I haven’t confirmed, but I believe that Soto has at least two and maybe three offers already over $600 [million].”
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