The Boston Red Sox are far from the leading contenders for Juan Soto's services, and as long as the Mets and Yankees are in the market, they'll likely remain lower on the list.
But one of the latest teams to enter the Soto sweepstakes could raise alarms for every team involved. Boston has particularly bad luck in free agent races against the Los Angeles Dodgers, though, one of the newest teams in contention for the slugger.
MLB insider Mark Feinsand on Nov. 18 reported that the Dodgers will meet with Soto on Nov. 19. The outfielder has been courting potential future teams in southern California, near the Dodgers' neck of the woods, and it was only a matter of time before they checked in on the superstar.
It's still unclear how involved LA will be in the race for Soto's signature, but most experts predict it'll take a backseat role after it committed to spending a billion dollars last winter. However, the Dodgers' recent offseason moves match up with one of Soto's reported top priorities — a commitment to winning.
The Dodgers could burn the Red Sox in their free agency pursuit of Juan Soto
Dodgers are up next with their Soto meeting expected Tuesday, per sources. More on Soto sweepstakes in story below: https://t.co/b82SyzxKRv
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 19, 2024
The Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to long-term mega-deals that will keep the two stars in Los Angeles for 10 and 12 years, respectively. With Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman alongside them, it could be hard for Soto to pass up a deal with the superteam, provided it can meet his asking price after recent years' exorbitant spending.
The Dodgers organization seems to find joy in burning the Red Sox. Betts is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and they outdid the Sox's offers to both Yamamoto and Teoscar Hernández, the latter of the two openly expressed his love for Boston and Fenway Park. However, if the Red Sox organization had committed to paying any of them what they were actually worth, it wouldn't be in this situation.
The Sox seem to be taking their pursuit of Soto more seriously than they've taken a free agent race in years, but most fans and experts still believe they're unlikely to write a check as large as Soto is sure to demand. Boston fans can relax slightly with the knowledge that Los Angeles is also unlikely to write another check for many hundreds of millions after the most expensive offseason of all time last year. But if Soto wants to play there, it could be a different story.