List of well-known groups with upcoming meetings Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras continues to grow. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that both the Blue Jays and Red Sox will meet with Soto and his representative this week. They will join the Mets and Yankees in that. Passan added that the Jays are “determined to add a star” to their roster Vladimir Guerrero Jr.and Soto is surprisingly high on their wish list.
Similarly, Jon Heyman of the New York Post paints the Jays as a legitimate contender in the Soto bid. Toronto was famously willing to make the same offer the Dodgers made to lure them Shohei Ohtani in Los Angeles last winter, and Heyman added that the Jays tried to trade Soto last winter even before the Yankees acquired him from the Padres. Both reports point to Toronto as a motivated buyer after a disastrous 2024 season that saw them finish at the bottom of the AL East.
From a payer’s standpoint, the Jays should have a clear path to making a compelling offer. Jose Berrios again Yariel Rodriguez they are the only players the Blue Jays have signed beyond the 2026 season – the last to earn more than $8MM per year. RosterResource projects Toronto’s 2025 payroll at around $197MM right now – a good ways shy of last year’s franchise record $225MM Opening Day mark. That proposed number may drop further as there are some non-tenders/traders listed (eg Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson, Jordan Romano, Zach Pop). In 2026, the Blue Jays have less than $75MM in guarantees on the books.
Toronto, of course, hopes to extend the aforementioned Guerrero and will need a big offer to do so, but a long-term payroll ledger with Soto and Guerrero seems unlikely due to the lack of other commitments. Shortstop Bo Bichette he might be another extension candidate, but he’s a tough long-term contract issue after an injury-shortened season that included career-worst production at the plate. At the very least, it’s easy to see how the Blue Jays could make a strong push with a competitive bid for Soto, as they did for Ohtani.
That’s especially true of the Red Sox, even though their short-term books aren’t quite as clean. Rafael Devers, Brian Bello again Ceddanne Rafaela they are the only players signed long term in Boston, but the Red Sox are yet to pay Masataka Yoshida again Trevor’s story significant salaries through the 2027 season at least. That being said, the Sox have a very thin middle class and don’t have the luxury of a potential star move, like the Jays did with Guerrero. They’re expected to earn an estimated $136MM in salary in 2025 (again, per RosterResource) – which is relative to their franchise-record usage levels.
That said, the Red Sox have held back on spending in recent seasons. They actually opened the 2022 season with a $206MM cap hit but have otherwise spent in the $170-180MM range starting in 2020. Back in 2018, their last World Series win, the Sox opened the season with $233MM. They followed with $236MM in 2019 (both figures by Cot’s). Signing Soto will require a willingness to return to those 2018-19 levels — if not beyond — but there are some signs the organization is willing to do just that.
Red Sox baseball executive Craig Breslow he has been talking about his intention to “liberate[ing] a team that can win the AL East and make a deep playoff run,” adding that the Sox need to be willing to be big players in the free agent and trade markets to do that. Doubters will harken back to chairman Tom Werner’s regrettable and oft-derided “complete full” comments from last season, but Breslow has been clear and repeated about his intention to be active in both markets.
The Sox have many areas they will need to address, however, as Breslow has also expressed his intention to “raise the roof” in the rotation. (They are also linked to Fried Maxit also provides evidence that they’re willing to spend this winter.) Soto won’t accomplish that particular goal, and he won’t help balance the lefty’s roster (one of Breslow’s stated goals), but that’s to little effect. Only young and influential free agents like Soto come along every few decades; adding him to the roster is a unique endeavor in itself, and the team’s other goals can take a back seat to the unusual.
Source link
