Negatives of Red Sox adding Juan Soto
Adding Soto your lineup is a negative? Usually those two don't add up in the same sentence, but in the case of the Red Sox, unfortunately, it could.
Con No. 1 - If the Red Sox were to trade for him and extend him, it could cost them any chance at Ohtani
With Boston's top goal being pitching in the off-season and with Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated reporting the Red Sox being a real player in the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, acquiring Soto and extending him, could cost them any chance at getting perhaps the best player baseball has ever seen.
While Ohtani would be used exclusively as a designated hitter in his first year in Boston, once he is recovered from UCL surgery, he could become one of the most valuable pitchers on the staff and make the Red Sox lineup extremely dangerous.
While Soto is a free agent following the 2024 season, he will most likely be looking to stay with whoever he gets moved to for an extended period, and that could very well cost them a lot of money, thereby taking them out of the running for Ohtani.
Con No. 2 - It would take a haul to get pry him from the Padres
Chances are good that the Padres are going to be looking for prospects in return for Soto, much like the ones they had to give up to get him and I'm not talking about middling prospects like
Chase Meidroth, Ryan Zeferjahn or Grant Gambrell.
They are most likely going to be looking for players like Roman Anthony, Ceddane Rafaela, Brayan Bello, or, for all we know, Kyle Teel. None of whom should be traded.
Now, if San Diego were to take one of them, maybe Verdugo, and another name not mentioned yet, then it may be worth it. Possibly give them some major league-ready talent in Bobby Dalbec. Dalbec has shown he has promise, but has not had the room in Boston to shine.