According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, all five teams reportedly pursuing Juan Soto have now extended contract offers exceeding $600 million. These teams include the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees.
But according to the Athletic report, Soto’s contract is likely to commit him to his next destination for the next 12 seasons, so Rosenthal also cited Soto’s agent Scott Boras as saying that the Dominican-born superstar had already started the process of removing some of those teams from his list of potential destinations for 2025 — and beyond. He would then be 38 years old.
Fans and probably even executives of those five teams were left wondering whether their organization was still in the running or if Soto had excluded them for some reason because Rosenthal did not provide any additional details.
Red Sox supporters don’t need to worry; the team is still in the running.
But Boston Red Sox supporters don’t need to worry. At least, if The Boston Globe’s report from Wednesday afternoon is accurate.
The Sox are not one of the teams that have been eliminated, according to big league sources. In the piece, Globe columnist Alex Speier stated, “Instead, they are still searching for the 26-year-old, who has forged a.285/.421/.532 line with 201 home runs.” “There is conjecture that Soto may announce his decision this week, but many in the industry anticipate that he will make a decision by next week’s Winter Meetings in Dallas. In any case, the Red Sox continue to play a role at a moment when a decision seems to be approaching.
“The Red Sox would only be out of the running if the bidding for Soto reaches a figure starting with seven,” said Mario Pepén, a Red Sox reporter covering the team for Spanish-language outlets.
“I’ve been talking about the $600 million offer and the Mets being the frontrunners for days. As long as the bidding doesn’t hit the $700 million range, the Red Sox will remain competitive,” Pepén added in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
The Red Sox’s pursuit of Soto has left the Yankees feeling “stressed.” During her appearance on the Foul Territory podcast, Boston Herald reporter Gabrielle Star also confirmed that the Red Sox are still very much in the mix for Soto.
“The Red Sox would only be eliminated if the bidding for Soto reached a figure that started with the number seven,” said Mario Pepén, another Red Sox reporter who follows the team for outlets in the Spanish-language market.
“I’ve been discussing the $600 million offer and the Mets being the favorites for days. As long as the $700MM range isn’t met, the RedSox will continue to battle, Pepén added in a post on his X (previously Twitter) account.
Soto’s pursuit by the Red Sox has left the Yankees “stressed.”
During her appearance on the Foul Territory podcast, Boston Herald Red Sox reporter Gabrielle Star also stated that the Red Sox are still very much in the running for the Soto sweepstakes.
Furthermore, Rob Bradford, a reporter for Red Sox WEEI.com and presenter of the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast, said on Wednesday that the Red Sox are currently looking to trade for a starting pitcher to join their rotation. Speier stated in his Globe piece that the Red Sox would be more likely to trade for a top starter if they signed Soto.
