Soto spent last year with the New York Yankees, but opted to go across town and join the Mets on a 15-year, $765 million contract. As he told The Athletic, Boston was also a prime candidate.

“It was pretty fun, they showed a lot of love,” Soto said about negotiations with the Red Sox. “I really appreciated what they did and what they brought to the table. I think it was really impressive, what they bring over. I definitely sat down and looked at it and looked at the offers and everything they had for me. At the end of the day we went in another direction.”

And Soto is only human. He admitted that during his first trip to Fenway Park as a member of the Mets, he thought about what could have been.

“[On Monday] I was like ‘Oh d—, there was a chance for me to be a part of that lineup,’” Soto said. “But that’s in the past and I’m really happy where I’m at right now.”

He added that the Red Sox’ history and the city of Boston were two main selling points for him.

“I think, the history, what they have and how they go about it all,” he added. “The history of the ballpark, the city, the team. It’s a pretty good team and has a lot of Dominicans, and it was really impressive for me and really caught my eye.”

The Red Sox’ big 2024 offensive acquisition is doing just fine

When they missed on Soto, Boston instead opted for third baseman Alex Bregman. It’s still early, but all indications are both sides are happy with the arrangement.

Through 48 games, Bregman is hitting .303 with 11 home runs and a .955 OPS.

“Honestly, I feel like this has been the best I’ve hit in my career,” Bregman told ESPN last week.

He added that Boston is an organization where he believes he can win. Bregman already has two World Series rings with the Houston Astros, but he has been obsessive about improving and carrying his team as far as he can.

“I felt like it was a place I could win,” Bregman said. “I felt like it was a place where I could prove the caliber a player that I believe I am. And I wasn’t scared to go prove it.”