The New York Yankees aren’t going down without a fight, recognizing teams such as the Boston Red Sox are taking their swing at the Juan Soto sweepstakes.
New York upgraded its contract offer, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, in hopes of better positioning the franchise’s chances before Soto makes a final decision. The Yankees have a case of their own being they are the reigning American League pennant winners, locking AL MVP Aaron Judge to a nine-year deal two years ago and being among the biggest markets in baseball. But they’re not alone.
The Red Sox underwent a three-hour-long meeting with Soto in California, rumored to leave the 26-year-old “impressed” and have a rich history of Dominican-born stars making Fenway Park their home. David Oritz, a three-time World Series champion and Boston icon, spent the offseason campaigning for Soto to join the Red Sox.
Yes, Boston finished 81-81 and missed the playoffs for a third straight time, but having six of baseball’s top 100 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, with youngsters like Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel knocking is encouraging. The Red Sox have made the most of their misfortunes, turning their postseason misses into bigger-picture investments in the farm system that could now pay off.
Boston is also digging deep into the market with links to free-agent pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Roki Sasaki from Japan. Blake Snell was also rumored to be of interest to the Red Sox before the left-hander inked a five-year, $182 million deal with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Therefore, it’s easy to recognize Boston making its strides to create an environment conducive to attracting free agents, especially those of Soto’s caliber.
Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, previously insinuated that the Red Sox are expected to be among the teams making major changes this offseason. Prying Soto away from the Bronx wouldn’t just be a start, it’d arguably be the biggest move of the winter.
