Juan Soto Rumors: Red Sox Eye Another Meeting with OF to Determine Contract Price Tag
December 6, 2024
As star outfielder Juan Soto enters the final stages of picking his new team in free agency, one team is seeking another meeting.
Per The Boston Globe's Alex Speier (h/t Boston.com's Conor Ryan), the Boston Red Sox are hoping to meet with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, to determine the price of his contract.
"The Mets and owner Steve Cohen loom large," Speier wrote. "The Sox are aware of rumors that Cohen told Boras he would go $50 million beyond any other team's highest offer. Whether accurate or not, the perception of Cohen's willingness to spend to such heights lords over the bidding and how teams approach it.
"For that reason, the Red Sox have expressed interest in an additional meeting in which Boras and Soto would identify a price that would get a deal done. It's unknown if such a meeting has been or will be granted."
According to Speier, the Red Sox are still in the mix to land Soto and have reportedly upped their offer to $600 million.
The push for another meeting comes after reports that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is willing to offer $50 million more than other teams, according to YES Network's Michael Kay. The Mets met with Soto in November and the meeting "went extremely well," per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.
Along with the Red Sox and Mets, Soto has reportedly met with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays
Since winning the World Series in 2018, Boston has been to the postseason just one time and has finished at .500 or worse over the past three seasons. Adding a superstar like Soto could change the course of the franchise.
In his first season with the New York Yankees in 2024, Soto hit 41 home runs and 109 RBI with a .288 batting average and a .989 OPS. His efforts helped lead the Yankees to the World Series for the first time since 2009, but they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Red Sox's offer would be historic, but ultimately might not be enough if Cohen and New York present Soto with a better proposal.
