The Boston Red Sox are among the final suitors for free-agent outfielder Juan Soto, but as far as Jeff Passan of ESPN knows, no deal is all that close.
The Boston Red Sox are willing to spend this winter – they have made it abundantly clear to every agent, front office and MLB insider within reach. Craig Breslow has the permission of Fenway Sports Group to go big game hunting. That includes Juan Soto, the best free agent on the market who is expected to command a contract north of $600 million.
When the bidding is all said and done, Soto could land a deal close to Shohei Ohtani’s from last winter. At least, that is what Soto’s agent Scott Boras is hoping. The initial reports surrounding Soto’s interest in Boston were positive. He received personal phone calls from David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez. The Red Sox front office sold Soto on the history of Fenway Park, including the longtime success of left-handed hitters in the ballpark.
For the Sox, the interest in Soto is obvious. He’d be a great fit alongside Rafael Devers, and would steal a much-needed weapon from the rival Yankees. They have little to lose, as Boston has interest in adding an ace-level starting pitcher with or without Soto.
Jeff Passan puts Red Sox-Juan Soto rumors to bed quickly
Rumors circulated on Thanksgiving regarding an offer make to Soto by Devers. Mike Rodriguez claimed the Red Sox offered Soto a 12-year deal worth over $50 million AAV. Hector Gomez countered that with reports of a 13-year offer worth $625 million. That’s incredibly intimidating for the Yankees and Blue Jays in particular, two teams in the mix for Soto.
The only question, of course, is how close this duo of reports is to the real deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan corrected both Rodriguez and Gomez, it would appear, suggesting no deal is close.
“I am thankful for reporters who don’t make up stories,” Passan wrote. “I am also thankful that Juan Soto has not agreed to any contract, which means you can get off Twitter and go spend the holiday with your family. Happy Thanksgiving.”
So, there you have it. A Soto contract isn’t close for now, and Yankees fans don’t have much to worry about until after the holiday. However, if you’re familiar with New Yorkers, the cholesterol levels really never drop.
