This emergency Red Sox-White Sox trade would be the ultimate Juan Soto backup plan

The Boston Red Sox were quite invested in the $765 million Juan Soto sweepstakes this winter. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, Soto opted to sign with the New York Mets and Steve Cohen's $765 million offer compared to Boston's $700 million offer.

Now the Red Sox will need to pivot to their emergency backup plan. This backup plan will be led by the pitchers they're able to add in the coming weeks.

Boston has been rumored to be interested in left-handed starting pitchers with Max Fried and Garrett Crochet at the top of their priority list. With Boston's farm system and deep pockets, they could look to acquire both Fried in free agency and Crochet in a trade.

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This emergency Red Sox-White Sox trade would give Boston the ace they need in lieu of missing on Soto

With Crochet, Boston would need to dive deep into the farm system to pull a deal off.

It's no secret that the Chicago White Sox are looking to add young position players to their farm system. In a deal with the Red Sox, Chicago could do just that. Not only does Boston have a deep farm system of young talent, but they have big league players they could move in a blockbuster deal for Crochet.

This deal centers around big league outfielder Wilyer Abreu. Abreu is a super talented 25-year-old outfielder with potential to post an OPS north of .850. Last season, Abreu slashed .253/.322/.459 with 15 home runs and 33 doubles. He's headed for stardom, but Boston has so many young outfielders, so they could move him in this deal.

Abreu's value is so immense that Boston wouldn't have to move any other top six prospects for Crochet. Instead, they could trade outfielder Miguel Bleis and pitcher Richard Fitts to make the deal happen. Bleis is a 20-year-old outfield prospect with huge potential. Fitts is a big-league ready arm that could debut in Chicago at the beginning of 2025.

Boston shouldn't solely add in free agency or through trades. If they want to compete with the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, they'll need to add both free agents and trade pieces. A move for Crochet would be the great starting point to building a World Series roster.