The Red Sox were hopeful what they could uniquely offer Juan Soto would go a long way.
Boston not only was able to pitch Soto on being the unquestioned face of the franchise, something Aaron Judge’s New York Yankees and the superstar-laden Los Angeles Dodgers could not. But Boston’s rich history of Dominican-born stars, including Soto’s childhood hero David Ortiz, also felt like a legitimate source of attraction.
Those reportedly were the recruiting aspects which interested Soto most.
“… According to sources, the aspect of the Sox’ presentation that seemingly most intrigued the slugger was the idea that he would be viewed as the undeniable longtime face of the franchise,” WEEI’s Rob Bradford wrote after Soto reportedly agreed to a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets.
“He was going to be Boston’s next David Ortiz, Soto’s childhood hero.”
Multiple reports stated the Red Sox offered Soto a 15-year deal in the neighborhood of $700 million. Boston contemplated extending the years to as many as 17, Bradford reported.
Ultimately, however, Soto opted to move from the Bronx to Queens on the richest contract ever.
Now the Red Sox will have to intrigue other free agents — Teoscar Hernández? Alex Bregman? Max Fried? — with separate recruiting pitches.
