David Ortiz currently is trying to help the Red Sox land Juan Soto, but he plans to keep his helping hand extended if the star free agent signs in Boston.
Ortiz’s presence in the Red Sox’s pursuit of Soto shouldn’t be overlooked. The Hall of Fame designated hitter is one of the best baseball players to come out of the Dominican Republic, where Soto developed his love for baseball while watching Big Papi shine in Boston.
Appearing on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, Ortiz was asked to give a passionate recruiting pitch to Soto. In doing so, the three-time World Series champion made a vow to the 26-year-old phenom.
“I would say you’re about to join a team that has a great history,” Ortiz told host Rob Bradford. “You’re about to play for a team that a couple of your Dominican fellas made history on — some of the Dominican players he admired when he was a kid. It was Pedro (Martinez), Manny (Ramirez), myself and some others. At the end of the day, he knows I’m gonna be right there for anything or whatever needs to be done for him, his family. I’m very close to his family. We had a really good relationship.
“He signs with this organization, which is an amazing organization — he can balance the clubhouse in a way that I did. He’s gonna have Coach Papi in his corner.”
Although other big spenders like the Mets and the Yankees are involved in the Soto sweepstakes, Ortiz remains “optimistic” about the four-time All-Star landing in Boston. That confidence appears to stem from his belief that Red Sox brass are very serious about trying to sign Soto.
So, if Soto ends up calling Fenway Park home, Red Sox fans will have yet another reason to be grateful for Ortiz.
