The Boston Red Sox are the most unexpected finalists in the race for free agent outfielder Juan Soto's services.
After multiple low-budget offseasons and inadequate signings, the Red Sox have finally decided to go "full throttle" in their pursuit of Soto. But the latest projected figures for his contract could remove Boston from the running entirely.
MLB insider Buster Olney suggested Soto's potential contract could land in the $750 million range. Sean McAdam of MassLive corroborated Olney's prediction and even said the deal could creep closer to $800 million. That could spell disaster for the Red Sox's chances to sign the slugger.
It has to be said that any information released to the public about negotiations of this caliber is often calculated. Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, would love to drive up the outfielder's price in any way possible, and scaring teams with insanely high reported offers could be a great way to entice Soto's desired club to up the ante.
There's a possibility that Juan Soto's next contract could end up in the $750M range over 15 years, per @Buster_ESPN & @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/Ef2tXZrEzd
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 5, 2024
Shohei Ohtani signed the largest contract in MLB history last offseason, an astonishing 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers. Olney's latest prediction for Soto's deal surpasses that in terms of money and time, but it would be lower in terms of average annual value as the money would be spread over more years.
The Red Sox have shown no inclination to spend even a fraction of Olney's projection for the Soto deal. Rafael Devers' 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension is the largest deal in franchise history, and Soto's payday will be more than double that amount — at this point, it's a matter of how much more.
Juan Soto's contract predictions have reached a total the Red Sox are highly unlikely to meet
The market for players the Red Sox have needed hasn't been favorable in recent years. Jordan Montgomery was among the best pitchers available last winter, and he and Boras sought an exorbitant deal for his history. Fans begged Boston for action, but it ended up a good thing it didn't pay up — Montgomery posted the worst year of his career last season. This probably won't happen to Soto, a 26-year-old just entering his prime, but the Red Sox refused to pay Montgomery's price for the team's biggest need, which doesn't reflect well on the odds the team coughs up hundreds of millions more for a fifth or sixth outfielder.
A $750 million-plus contract sounds like Mets money. The team from Queens has been listed as the favorite for Soto by plenty of experts and insiders, mostly due to owner Steve Cohen's seemingly limitless financial resources. Cohen is the wealthiest owner in MLB and John Henry — Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group owner — isn't far behind. The latter has been more focused on expanding his portfolio than his baseball team in recent years, and his actions the last four or five offseasons do not suggest he's willing to drop Soto money.
Despite the reports of the record-breaking projected payday, the Red Sox are still in the running to sign Soto. They've allegedly pulled out all the stops to bring the slugger to Boston — David Ortiz, Rafael Devers and Dustin Pedroia have reportedly all spoken to Soto about coming to the Sox.
Every day the Red Sox remain in the race for Soto is a good one. But Boston's recent payroll history is not on its side, especially after Olney's latest report.