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Rosenthal: Red Sox becoming ‘surprising force’ in Juan Soto sweepstakes
"The two people briefed on the negotiations said that all remaining contenders have made offers above $600 million.”
The Juan Soto sweepstakes are heating up.
With MLB’s Winter Meetings set to commence next week, Soto is reportedly starting to narrow down his list of suitors. And according to Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic, the Red Sox remain firmly in the mix for the superstar outfielder’s services — even if one National League squad remains the frontrunner.
“The Mets are widely regarded as the favorite for Soto, with many in the industry believing the team’s owner, Steve Cohen, will top any rival bid,” Rosenthal wrote. “But the Yankees desperately want to keep Soto as a complement to Aaron Judge, and the Red Sox have emerged as a surprising force in the negotiations.
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“The Blue Jays and Dodgers are considered longer shots, though the Jays were willing to match the Dodgers’ bid for [Shohei] Ohtani last offseason, and seem to be just as intently focused on Soto.”
Soto is represented by MLB superagent Scott Boras, who noted Tuesday that Soto is starting to cut down his list of potential destinations.
“When you’re going through these things, he’s just got a lot of information to meld through,” Boras said Tuesday of Soto’s decision, per Rosenthal. “We’ve had meetings with a number of franchises. He’s begun the process of eliminating teams and doing things. Juan is a very methodical thinker, so we’ll see, but I don’t think anything is imminent in the near future.”
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Rosenthal and Drellich had more details about Soto’s upcoming decision, noting that the former Yankees slugger could possibly put pen to paper on a new deal before the start of the Winter Meetings.
It will cost a pretty penny for the Red Sox to sign Soto, who has established himself as one of the top offensive forces in baseball for years now.
Add in the fact that Soto just turned 26 on Oct. 25, and the outfielder’s next contract could rival the 10-year, $700 million deal that Shohei Ohtani signed last December with the Dodgers.
“The floor for Juan Soto is $600 million,” Rosenthal wrote. “The bidding for the free-agent MLB outfielder has surpassed that amount, according to two people briefed on the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly. … The two people briefed on the negotiations said that all remaining contenders have made offers above $600 million.”
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