Juan Soto sweepstakes could end with ultimate slap to face for Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are expected to meet with MLB superstar Juan Soto, who is a free agent with winter. Soto could receive a contract north of $600 million when all is said and done, and the New York Yankees are prepared to make him that offer.

In an attempt to drive up the asking price – and to find an ideal suitor, of course – Soto and agent Scott Boras will meet with interested parties this week in California. Three of the Yankees biggest rivals, as well as the powerhouse Dodgers which just defeated New York in the World Series, are slated to meet with Soto.

The Toronto Blue Jays are a real threat for Soto's services, as reported by Jon Heyman on Monday night. While Red Sox ownership has yet to prove they are truly serious about winning via free agency, they remain in play as well, per ESPN's Jeff Passan:

"Another team with Soto at the top of its want list: the Boston Red Sox. They also have a meeting on the books with Soto this week, and like the Blue Jays, their aggressiveness extends into the starting pitching market as well," Passan wrote.

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Are Red Sox being used as pawns to push Juan Soto's free agent agenda?

The race for Soto figures to come down to the Yankees and Mets, barring an unexpected third entree. Soto loved his time in the Bronx, while Steve Cohen has made it his mission to convince Soto to switch boroughs. It helps that the Mets were one of the toughest outs for the Dodgers on their path to a World Series crown in 2024. Meanwhile, Soto's Yankees lost in five games.

Teams like the Red Sox and Blue Jays could be use as pawns to drive up the asking price for New York. Much like Shohei Ohtani and even Aaron Judge before him, free agents typically go this route to convince their top suitors to add a cherry on top of the current contract offer.

That is not to say Soto wouldn't play for Toronto or Boston - I'm sure he'd be thrilled to sign that check – but at the outset of free agency, one can't help but speculate.

It also makes since from Boras's end, as well, to allow Boston to meet with Soto, thus building a relationship that may help in negotiations with his many other clients down the road.