Red Sox Reunion With Six-Time All-Star Works If Juan Soto Joins Boston

How will the Red Sox handle the middle of the lineup this winter?

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are in hot pursuit of one of the most interesting free agents in Major League Baseball history.

New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto still is available -- despite "reports" saying he already signed -- and is going to land a historic contract. Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani signed the biggest deal in Major League Baseball history and Soto's eventual pact likely will be the second-biggest.

Boston has been in the mix for him, but there are other holes to fill even if the Red Sox do find a way to bring him to town. The Red Sox's lineup was lefty-heavy in 2024 and Soto is another lefty. If the Red Sox do sign him, they still will need to bring in a righty but may not want to shell out what it will cost to sign someone like Teoscar Hernández or Anthony Santander.

Because of this, a reunion with former fan-favorite and All-Star J.D. Martinez could make sense. He's now 37 years old and is projected to land a one-year deal worth roughly $9 million. He may not be what he once was, but he still hit 16 home runs and drove in 69 runs in 2024. Martinez was an All-Star in 2023 with the Dodgers and had 33 home runs and 103 RBIs.

He has no defensive upside, so the Red Sox would have to either move Masataka Yoshida or find some way to platoon the two together in this scenario. Even if the Red Sox land Soto, they still need some right-handed talent and Martinez easily could do that while being affordable.

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