MLB Network Analyst Tabs Underrated Benefit In Red Sox’s Juan Soto Pursuit

Juan Soto controls the fate of the MLB offseason for several teams including the Boston Red Sox.

The New York Mets, the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays seem to be the biggest fellow contenders for the star outfielder, but the Red Sox are certainly right in the thick of conversations and may be the best fit for Soto as a defender.

MLB Network’s Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian weighed the fit on “Hot Stove” Monday.

“As far as ballpark, I think Fenway Park,” Reynolds assessed. “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.”

Vasgersian called Soto “Manny Ramirez 2.0′ in regards to how the Red Sox could utilize Soto defensively. The host did offer his doubts on whether a deal would actually get done to bring Soto to Boston.

“Maybe the Red Sox are players here because they have not behaved like the big-market Red Sox for a number of years now,” Vasgersian said. “They were matching the Yankees dollar for dollar for about a 10-year period, if not longer for a while. They haven’t done that as of late. We don’t know how they’re going to behave under Craig Breslow. We don’t know if they’re going to write this kind of check.”