Juan Soto to Boston Makes Sense: Why He’s the Perfect Target
There is no world in which the Red Sox signing or attempting to sign Juan Soto, one of the three baseball players on the planet, should be considered a bad thing.
Sox fans have become increasingly hopeful that Boston could reel in the free-agent fish, and we’re still at the point where whale might be a better way of putting it.
That optimism stems from reports this week that the Red Sox have earned a seat at the negotiating table with Soto and his representation. Boston will meet with the superstar outfield as part of a reported group of suitors, including the Blue Jays, Mets and Yankees.
The impact of signing Soto for the Red Sox would be at least twofold. First, it would signify to the rest of the league that Boston can still throw around its financial weight. Signing Soto is likely to require a commitment of $600 million to get into the conversation. More importantly, though, the team that signs Soto will arguably get the best player in the league not named Shohei Ohtani … at just 26 years old.
Soto is entering his prime. He just had the best season of his career, hitting 41 home runs and driving in 109 runs with the Yankees in 2024. His 8.1 wins above replacement (FanGraphs) was the best of his career and was bested only by Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr. and Ohtani in 2024.