Either way, it’s gonna kill ya.

According to the latest league-wide rumors, the New York Yankees will either lose out to a rival or lose money in the process.

The Boston Red Sox have been on the fringes of the Juan Soto chase seemingly forever. After all, a traditional behemoth built on Dominican sluggers would have no excuse not to pry, especially as they’re plotting a return to budgetary prominence. Add in the fact that Soto grew up a Pedro Martinez/David Ortiz/Manny Ramirez fan, and Boston’s scheduled meeting with the Boras camp was no accident.

At the very least, they’d have a chance to make their voices heard in front of MLB’s top agent and prove that they planned to spend with intention this offseason on some of his other clients. They’d also be able to force the Yankees and Mets into slightly more uncomfortable financial territory by getting the ball rolling.

At most? Soto might just fall in love. The Red Sox know exactly what kind of financial waters they have to plan in here. They were never going to take a meeting, then fall foolishly short.

According to the latest buzz, they went into Thursday’s meeting with gusto.

Red Sox clearly pushing harder for Yankees’ Juan Soto than expected

The Red Sox don’t feel like a red herring any longer.

Of course, we’re only about three days removed from hearing that the Blue Jays were uniquely motivated to make the Yankees and Mets pay, even earning a Bob Nightengale prediction in the process. If Boston’s meeting was Thursday, that means the Jays’ meeting came and went rather silently. The Mets are bringing Francisco Lindor; they’re not taking this lightly. The Yankees get to meet with Soto last, a unique perk and potential dollar matching opportunity.

But, though Boston’s odds rising to the “double-digits” doesn’t sound like much, they’re clearly the “team of the hour” in terms of putting pressure on the New York, New York duo most expected to run away with this and hide into the upper reaches of the financial stratosphere.

Again, if you don’t believe in John Henry paying cash until you see it for yourself, that’s fine. But he wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t serious.

In the end, nobody has more financial capital than Steve Cohen. If he wants to blow the Red Sox offer away, he can. He has the power to end this Boston uprising in its tracks.

No team is more motivated to sign Soto than the one he played with last year. Add in the Red Sox agitating, and the pressure has never been more squarely on Hal Steinbrenner. You can’t lose Soto to the Mets. You CANNOT lose him to Boston. He knows this. Probably.

But if there’s a financial limit to the Yankees’ offer, and if Cohen doesn’t feel like wielding his full power and favors spreading the wealth around, this could get more uncomfortable than we anticipated. Yes, even more uncomfortable than Soto trying to play right field at Fenway 81 games a season.