Red Sox insider claims "Juan Soto is the guy" deserving $750,000,000 despite contract more than twice Bryce Harper, Manny Machado's free agency deals
All-Star slugger Juan Soto's free agency has started to show up, with reports suggesting the Dominican superstar is expected to choose his next team by the Ned of next week.
One of the teams still interested in the coveted free agent is the Boston Red Sox. Although Red Sox insider Alex Speier feels that the priority for Boston is to add reliable starters in the rotation, they are still involved in Soto's sweepstakes.
In the latest episode of "Boston has entered the chat," hosted by Travis Thomas and George Balekji, Alex Speier reflected on Soto's contract potentially touching $750,000,000.
He said (11:27):
"In the context of baseball history, the contracts that have been signed to this point, that's that's pretty steep, right? Like you're talking about more than double as much as what Bryce Harper and Manny Machado got as free agents. That said, you don't look at what has been given out, you need to figure out where the market is right now. It was obviously changed in a pretty dramatic way by the signing of Shohei Ohtani last year and the breaching of the $700 million number. "
Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019, while Machado penned a franchise-record $350 million extension in 2023 with the San Diego Padres. Despite the steep valuation, Speier made a case for Soto.
He continued:
"Juan Soto is about as safe as a bet as you can have for a free agent superstar given what the performance track has been of year over the years, being elite from the ages of 19 to 25. I'll put it this way if you're going to, if you're going to set a record for the most money you're ever investing on a position player, Juan Soto is the guy."
Red Sox in the mix for Juan Soto despite strong interest from New York teams
The Red Sox are in the mix for the ex-Yankees slugger who is coming off a career best season in New York. They just completed the signing of another ex-Yankee, Aroldis Chapman, to strengthen their bullpen earlier this week.
However, signing Soto won't be anything like signing the veteran flamethrower, not even close. The career-best expected to break the bank for the 2024 AL MVP finalist with Steve Cohen's New York Mets reported to be willing to go beyond anything their rivals are offering.
The Red Sox, despite their stature, are much lower down the pecking order, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays also reported to be in the mix for the coveted free agent.