Insider Reveals Red Sox's Next Steps If Juan Soto Signs In Boston

How will the Red Sox handle the rest of free agency?

Oct 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after a strike out against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning during game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

If Juan Soto somehow miraculously signs with the Boston Red Sox, there will be two waves of reactions.

First, "HOLY BLEEP!" Second, "Okay, where do we go from here?"

Every team should want Soto, who may be the best pure hitter in Major League Baseball and is still only 26 years old. But the Red Sox's primary issue these days is pitching, not outfield bats.

Boston still needs an ace, and on Wednesday, they missed out on Blake Snell, who signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It poses a legitimate concern: if Boston does land Soto, will they neglect the pitching staff as a result of the impending payroll crunch?

Fortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. On Wednesday, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported that the Red Sox aren't planning to limit their spending spree to Soto alone, should they be lucky enough to land the young superstar.

“According to sources, the Sox do not view the pursuit of Soto and a front-of-the-rotation starter as an either/or proposition: They’d still be looking to add a top starter even if they land the top player on the market,” Speier said.

It's certainly heartening to hear that the Red Sox wouldn't view signing Soto as an excuse to cut off the cash flow, considering it would be a fairly legitimate excuse at the $600 million-plus price tag. But there's also the matter of timing to consider.

As Boston found out on Tuesday, other free agents don't have to wait for Soto to sign before they make their own decisions. So while adding an ace on top of Soto may be the goal, there are only two slam-dunk aces left (Corbin Burnes and Max Fried) now that Snell is off the market.

Hopefully for Red Sox fans, there's a dream scenario waiting on the horizon. But all the talk of spending big is still talk; at some point, Boston has to finally prove they can land one of these big fish.

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