In what may be the strongest indication yet that the Boston Red Sox are serious about signing generational free agent slugger Juan Soto, the team now wants a new meeting with Soto. At that meeting, according to a report by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox would ask Soto and his agent Scott Boras for a specific price tag that would get the deal done and bring the 26-year-old superstar to Boston.
The Red Sox were among the first teams to meet with Soto in mid-November. Since then, they have remained in the running and even according to some reports risen to be the favorite in the Soto sweepstakes.
But according to Speier’s reporting, it remains unknown whether a new meeting would or could take place. Numerous reports this week have claimed that Soto will make his decision about which team he will play for starting in 2025 sometime before the MLB Winter Meetings begin on Sunday. If those reports are accurate, the time crunch may preclude the Red Sox from obtaining that hoped-for meeting with Soto that could close the deal.
Soto’s Agent Denies That Decision is ‘Imminent’
On the other hand, Boras continues to maintain that no decision from Soto is “imminent.” The free agent market, at least the market for free agents who will sign for nine figures and multiple years, has been stalled as the wait for Soto to make up his mind drags on.
The likely size of Soto’s contract, which reportedly could reach 15 years and $700 million, puts teams in a position where they need to know whether they will sign Soto or not, before they can make other large player expenditures.
Speier also points out that Red Sox’ history of signing major free agents over that last two decades has been a rather paltry one. Even the signing of righty home run hitter J.D. Martinez before the 2018 season came late, after spring training was already underway. With the Yankees already having signed Giancarlo Stanton, there was little competition for Martinez who signed a five-year deal for $110 million.
The Martinez signing, however, played a pivotal role in building the 2018 Red Sox team that won 108 games and went on to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, four games to one.
Quest For Soto Recalls Red Sox 2008 Chase of Mark Teixeira
Speier finds the closest analogy in recent Red Sox history in their 2008 chase of Texas Rangers heavy-hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira. In that case, Red Sox brass flew to Texas to meet with Teixeira and entice him with an eight-year contract. Somehow, the mission failed and the Red Sox officials returned to Boston where they tersely announced that the team was “not going to be a factor” in the quest to sign the lefty slugger.
Teixeira then signed with the New York Yankees for eight years and $180 million. He played out his contract and retired in 2016.
The Red Sox are hoping that if they can get a new meeting with Soto, they will indeed be “a factor” and come away grabbing the biggest free agent prize of the 2024-2025 MLB offseason.
