Red Sox were much closer to signing Juan Soto than initially believed

Juan Soto landed with the New York Mets on a historic 15-year, $765 million contract Sunday night. The dam has officially broken, which means the free agent frenzy is about to begin. For those who missed out on Soto, however, it's a difficult blow. Soto has been the sole object of affection for at least four teams this winter. Missing out on Soto means missing out on a franchise-defining talent — and scrambling to find a half-decent alternative.

The New York teams commanded most of the Soto headlines, but the Boston Red Sox were always lurking around the corner. John Henry historically chickens out of seismic investments, but the Red Sox appeared atypically committed to landing Soto. Perhaps because it presented an opportunity to one-up the Yankees.

The Yankees were indeed one-upped in the end, but not by Boston. Now the Red Sox are left holding the bag — and staring down the barrel of an imminently winnable division. The first-place Yankees just lost half their offense. The second-place Orioles appear destined to lose Corbin Burnes. This is a prime window of opportunity for the Red Sox to sieze the AL East crown. Boston needs to operate with more aggression, not less.

Thankfully for Red Sox fans, there is hope that this new-and-improved front office approach is real. Apparently Boston was truly in the mix for Soto, to the point where many viewed them as the primary challenger to the Bronx Bombers until the final whistle sounded.

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Red Sox were considered biggest threat to Yankees in Juan Soto sweepstakes — until they weren't

This is a fascinating report. SNY's Andy Martino is plugged in on the Yankees front, so there's no reason to doubt its credibility. The Red Sox, whose final offer came in around $700 million, were always the most intriguing destination from a baseball (and frankly, a narrative) perspective.

Not only would Soto in Boston spice up baseball's greatest rivalry, but it would have been such a fitting destination for the MLB's biggest Dominican superstar. Following in the footsteps of fellow countrymen David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez, Soto would have been the face of Boston baseball for the next decade-plus. The Red Sox are a great brand in a great city, but that team has felt rudderless in recent years. There is talent on the roster — Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran are the real deal — but Soto would have launched the Red Sox into a new stratosphere of contention.

This is, again, great news overall, even if the Red Sox whiffed on the ultimate prize. Soto didn't end up back in the division, for one, and it's proof that Boston is actually in the market for star-power. There's a world in which Boston's aggression regresses with Soto off the board, but Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, and Garrett Crochet have all been tied to the Red Sox — not to mention former NL East rival Teoscar Hernandez, who can fill Soto's void in the outfield.

It sure seems like the Red Sox are going to enter next season with a drastically improved roster, even if it doesn't include the new $765 million man in New York. And that's fine, honestly. There are other pathways to the World Series.