The Juan Soto race is underway. Soto and agent Scott Boras began meeting with interested teams this week, with the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox reportedly among the first to get face-to-face time. The Mets and Yankees both have meeting scheduled as well. The two New York teams are expected to pursue Soto most aggressively, though they will hardly be alone.
Thursday night the Red Sox met with Soto and Boras for approximately three hours, reports MassLive.com. Boston was represented by chairman Tom Werner, president Sam Kennedy, CBO Craig Breslow, and manager Alex Cora. The meeting was introductory in nature, and contract terms were not discussed. That will come later, presumably.
Here are some details on Boston's meeting with Soto and also what Soto asked the Red Sox, via MassLive.com:
Soto was said to be impressed by the Red Sox' presentation, which included a video taking note of the franchise's history of star players from the Dominican Republic, Soto's native country. The Red Sox laid out their plans for the future and highlighted the crop of soon-to-be-arriving top prospects while giving a detailed outline of ownership and Fenway Sports Group.
In turn, Soto wanted to know about the team's commitment to winning, player evaluation methods, and Fenway Park and its facilities.
Money will of course play a role in Soto's decision, but there are other considerations. Throughout the summer he said he wants to be with a team that gives him a chance to win every year, so it's no surprise then that he asked the Red Sox about their player evaluation and commitment. Also, Soto has played in Fenway Park, but visiting and calling a place home are very different.
Frankly, questioning the Red Sox about their commitment to winning is fair. They've been to the postseason once in the last six years and have only two winning seasons during that time. Also, the Red Sox finished 2024 with a $223.1 million payroll for competitive balance tax purposes. That ranked 12th in baseball. Why do the Boston Red Sox rank middle of the pack in payroll?
The Red Sox are woefully short on pitching, though the lineup boasts impressive 20-somethings Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas, Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran, and Ceddanne Rafaela. All but Rafaela are lefty hitters like Soto, which would create a lineup imbalance, but it's Juan Soto. They'll figure it out if he agrees to sign in Boston. Boston's farm system is very rich as well.
Soto turned only 26 last month. He slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs and a career-high 7.9 WAR in 2024. Soto is an AL MVP finalist and our top ranked free agent. The Red Sox went 81-81 this past season and finished five games out of a wild-card spot.