Red Sox reported final offer for Juan Soto was a John Henry special
A month ago, if you had told a Boston Red Sox fan that their team would bid $700 million for Juan Soto, they probably would have been very pleased. That shows a real willingness to spend from John Henry, right? Right?
Well, that's one way of looking at it. Another, is to ask how serious the Red Sox really were about splashing the cash for Soto when the Yankees reportedly went as high as $760 million and the Mets ultimately signed him for $765 million over 15 years.
According to Sean McAdam of MassLive, the Red Sox did offer $700 million over 15 years, but that was their last and best offer.
Source: Red Sox last/best on Soto was around $700 million for 15 years.
— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) December 9, 2024
The Red Sox were in the running, sure, but what's the point of being in the running for the big free agent if you're not willing to go as far as it takes? That's the John Henry special. Close enough to say, "well, we tried." Far enough away to not actually coming close to pulling off the deal.
Red Sox fall short on another big free agent, but moral victories, amirite?
So where do the Red Sox go from here?
If Henry and GM Craig Breslow were serious about spending $700 million on Soto, they can set their sights on spending that money elsewhere. It wouldn't take $700 million to improve the lineup or rotation, but some chunk of that would help a whole lot.
It starts with a Soto alternative. Competition will be fierce but Teoscar Hernandez is still out there. If Boston wants to make a statement that they're truly ready to be a contender, that's a signing they've got to figure out how to make.
What about pitching? Max Fried is out there looking to sign a big contract. The rumor mill has the Yankees and Red Sox as primary suitors. Losing Soto to the Mets wasn't the worst outcome since he didn't go to the Bronx. But losing Fried to New York would be a massive whiff.
Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, the trends point in a different direction. There will be a lot of bluster from Boston, but it's more likely to result in minor deals than a major, statement-making signing.
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