MLB Insider Adds Key Juan Soto Context That Could Benefit Red Sox

The Yankees and Red Sox are competing for a top free agent for the first time in years and every new report shifts each side’s odds in different directions.

New York would look silly if it didn’t retain Juan Soto a year after trading for him in a blockbuster deal. However, that could be the case as the Mets and Boston are seen as the top contenders to acquire the All-Star outfielder’s services.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand offered Yankees fans hope this week when he reported that the Bronx Bombers could have a “final crack” to match or beat any of the offers handed to Soto. That report might have been overexaggerated as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman threw cold water on it Thursday.

“Just to clear up something I think might have been overplayed thanks to dreaded aggregation: The Yankees have NOT been told they will be given a last chance to match any high offer,” Heyman posted on X.

The “dreaded aggregation” comment aside, it does seem like some aspects of teams’ recruitment of Soto might have been played up. For example, MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported that efforts from former and current Red Sox to bring Soto to Boston were “overblown.”

That’s not to say there isn’t merit to some of these reports. However, it should be a good sign for the Red Sox that they won’t be outbid at the last minute thanks to a deal their American League East rival has with Soto.