Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Reportedly 'Obvious' Candidate To Poach Yankees Superstar In Blockbuster Signing

Boston could become instant contenders with this blockbuster move

Scott Neville

Jun 2, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 2, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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The Red Sox have been much more conservative with their offseason spending in recent years after decades of top of the league payrolls.

Could Boston come out of the shadows by making one of the biggest splashes in Major League Baseball history while stealing a superstar from the rival New York Yankees? The national media seems to think so.

"Though there’s sure to be outside interest in 25-year-old superstar Juan Soto -- the (New York) Mets, (Los Angeles) Dodgers, (Philadelphia) Phillies and Red Sox are obvious potential outside suitors -- some rival GMs are starting to wonder if there’s a real chance he’d leave the Yankees," the New Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday.

Soto becomes a free agent at the end of the season and is putting together quite a strong case to be among the highest paid players in MLB history. He's hitting .304 with 33 extra-base hits including 18 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .995 OPS (179 OPS+) in 75 games.

The story that continues to be fed by Red Sox ownership and the front office is that they are waiting for a core to develop before backing the roster with over-the-top spending.

While Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow appeared to have tabbed the prospect trio of shortstop Marcelo Mayer, outfielder Roman Anthony and catcher Kyle Teel as the next wave -- a plethora of big league breakout campaigns could speed up the timeline.

Right-hander Tanner Houck appears to be a legitimate Cy Young candidate and Kutter Crawford a frontline starter. Outfielders Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela are exceeding expectations as well as catcher Connor Wong. Boston could be ready for a splash sooner rather than later.

Will the Red Sox actually compete with the largest markets in the league in what will be a bidding war of historic proportions? Probability would say no but they reportedly did make a $300 million effort for Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter and could be more inclined to take the safer pick in Soto -- a position player who has plenty of experience dominating the big leagues.

More MLB: Red Sox Fan-Favorite Slugger Wanted To Return For 2024 But Was Told To Move On

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Scott Neville

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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