Red Sox Surprisingly Given Strong Odds To Poach Yankees Superstar In Blockbuster Signing

Boston would become an instant threat with this move

Scott Neville | Jun 26, 2024

Jun 25, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) follows through on a solo home run against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Could the Boston Red Sox return to prominence by poaching an MVP-caliber player from the rival New York Yankees?

Red Sox ownership and their front office have been quite conservative compared to their prior payroll standards but have consistently promised to spend when the big-league roster was ready.

After breakout seasons from a slew of young players and a trio of prospects rising that have lived up to the hype thus far -- 2025 could be the year to go for it.

If that's the case, there would be no better way to shake up the American League East than to steal superstar outfielder Juan Soto from New York in what would be a historically large contract.

The New York Post's Jon Heyman called the Red Sox an "obvious potential outside suitor" for Soto last week and has since doubled down, calling Boston the phenom's fourth-most likely external destination, trailing the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies in that order.

"They look a lot closer to winning than anyone figured, and their fans want to see more commitment from ownership since the Mookie Betts debacle," Heyman wrote Tuesday.

Soto is hitting .305 with 34 extra-base hits including 19 home runs, 57 RBIs and a 1.004 OPS (182 OPS+) in 78 games this season.

There would be no bigger splash Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow could make to not only ingratiate himself to the fanbase but ressurect owner John Henry's image -- which has taken a nosedive in recent years.

While the narrative surrounding Boston is that the team is refusing to spend, it reportedly did make an offer of at least $300 million to Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Soto is another 25-year-old generational talent but would be a much more risk adverse signing since he's a position player and has plenty of experience beating up on big-league competition. Henry opened up the checkbook for Yamamoto despite his distain for long-term deals with pitchers -- getting involved in the Soto sweepstakes will not be as daunting.

The Yankees seemingly want to reduce payroll so they could be less of a force than usual. The crosstown rival New York Mets could be a different story, however.

It's probably too early to start talking about Soto's future home but the Red Sox are expected to be in the mix and could make a serious bid despite their slew of outfield talent already on the roster/developing in the minors.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Have Set Asking Price For Star Hurler At Trade Deadline

Published Jun 26, 2024

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