Could the Boston Red Sox really land Juan Soto? It once felt like a pipe dream, but it seems more realistic by the day.
Hitting free agency at the age of 26, the former New York Yankees superstar has the league in the palm of his hand these days. The Red Sox, Yankees, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays seem to be the main suitors, but others, like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, remain lurking in the shadows.
Updates about Soto have begun to trickle out in the wake of Thanksgiving week. Bidding has already gone through multiple rounds of offers, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. And Jon Morosi of MLB Network believes a deal could be done within the next 10 days.
Clearly, the Red Sox are still in the fight, which is a surprise to many considering the lack of spending from Boston over the last few years. And they may also have a secret weapon in their pitch to the future Hall of Famer: Fenway Park.
Fenway has a notoriously small left field, and Soto, for all his briliance, is not a particularly rangy outfielder. For that reason, Harold Reynolds of MLB Network said recently that the Red Sox made the most sense for Soto in terms of his new home ballpark.
“As far as ballpark, I think Fenway Park,” Reynolds said. “Put him in left field. Play the wall. He can play left field forever out there and not worry about it."
"He’s gonna hold up as a position player and not have to worry about will he be DH-ing in five, 10 years or whatever. I think he can play left field for a long time.”
Soto was named a Gold Glove finalist in right field for the 2024 season, but it's hard to see anything from his defensive profile that warranted the honor. His negative-five outs above average ranked 37th among all right fielders, though it hardly made a dent in his incredible value as a hitter.
If playing at Fenway is more attractive to Soto than having to roam more spacious outfields, the Red Sox will gladly accept that leg up. But they'll still have other hurdles to clear--like that $600 million-plus price tag the young star seems to be demanding.
