Red Sox Really Might Face Entire AL East In This Superstar Pursuit

Whether or not the Boston Red Sox are legitimate players (probably not) for superstar Juan Soto in free agency is a whole separate story. What will be the case is they’ll have competition from around the division.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman floated the first round of teams to check in on Soto, a client of notable agent Scott Boras. The group includes four of the five teams in the American League East: the Red Sox, the (incumbent) New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Yankees and New York Mets remain the most likely homes for Soto, which could create the ultimate bidding war in the Big Apple. Could Soto get $500 million? How about $600 million? Could he even join Shohei Ohtani in the $700 million club?

The Red Sox don’t appear to make sense for Soto given the likely price tag, the fit on a roster already filled with left-handed hitters, and the need to prioritize pitching to get Boston to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Buster Olney previously reported that Soto could make his decision during MLB’s Winter Meetings in Dallas in December.