ESPN: The Yankees received a serious threat concerned Juan Soto deal.
According to two sources with knowledge of the deal discussions, the Red Sox are now the favorite—possibly THE favorite—to sign Yankees free agent Juan Soto, NJ Advance Media reported.
Although the Yankees still want to sign Soto, they are now more concerned about the Red Sox, their AL East foe, than the Mets, their crosstown rival, who are owned by Steve Cohen, the richest man in the world.
Due to the delicate nature of the matter, the individuals asked to remain anonymous.
According to one source, Red Sox great and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz has been attempting to persuade Soto to sign with Boston by praising the city, the team, manager Alex Cora, and the farm system, which has three of the top ten big league prospects according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings.
The Red Sox have informed Soto that they want to sign two more high-profile free agents, a pitcher and another hitter, the source also told NJ Advance Media. In addition, the Red Sox are one of the front-runners to acquire superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals in a winter deal.
The Yankees and Dodgers are reportedly in the running for Soto, along with the Red Sox, Mets, and Blue Jays. The 26-year-old outfielder, who played in 157 games during his debut season with the Yankees, hit.288 with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, and a.989 OPS, finishing third in the 2024 American League MVP voting.
On November 25, NJ Advance Media revealed that all five teams had extended first offers to Soto. According to a knowledgeable source, better offers were made last week.
According to someone familiar with the talks, the Yankees have offered proposals in the $550 million area, while the Red Sox, Mets, and Blue Jays have all made offers of up to $600 million. Recently, a former teammate of Soto informed NJ Advance Media that he is looking for a contract worth more than the record $700 million that Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ pitcher/designated hitter, received from them last winter.
Ohtani’s agreement included a delayed $680 million over ten years.
One of the individuals told NJ Advance Media that Soto would rather have a contract without any postponed payments.
According to veteran All-Star second baseman Carlos Baerga, Soto originally had a $660 million offer from the Mets. According to one of the sources who spoke to NJ Advance Media, the Yankees anticipate the final offer to be less than $600 million, and they are willing to move on if the price exceeds that amount, so if that is true, they most likely have no chance of acquiring Soto.
It is anticipated that Soto will get final offers over the weekend and decide at the Winter Meetings, which will take place in Dallas from Monday through Thursday, the following week.
The Yankees would swiftly go to a backup plan and spend money elsewhere if they lose Soto, which is what all the signals point to unless he leaves money on the table, which would be a huge surprise.
