The Red Sox met with free agent outfielder Juan Soto in southern California Thursday night, according to a source with knowledge of the get-together, in what was termed a “productive” first session.
Team president Sam Kennedy, chairman Tom Werner, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora represented the Red Sox, who offered a formal presentation to Soto and his representatives, including Scott Boras, designed to introduce Soto to the team. The meeting lasted approximately three hours.
Soto was said to be impressed by the Red Sox’ presentation, which included a video taking note of the franchise’s history of star players from the Dominican Republic, Soto’s native country. The Red Sox laid out their plans for the future and highlighted the crop of soon-to-be-arriving top prospects while giving a detailed outline of ownership and Fenway Sports Group.
In turn, Soto wanted to know about the team’s commitment to winning, player evaluation methods, and Fenway Park and its facilities.
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The Red Sox did not discuss money or term with Soto, as the meeting was largely introductory and informational in nature. Boston did not make a formal offer at this early stage of the superstar’s free agent process. Soto, 26, may be seeking a contract for longer than 10 years and the total value of his deal is expected to top $500 million, with some estimates pegged at equaling Shohei Ohtani’s landmark 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Soto is set to remain in southern California through early next week for additional meetings with teams. The New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, among others, are known to be interested. A four-time All-Star, Soto is the top free agent in this class, having won a Silver Slugger award in five of his seven seasons in the big leagues. He has a career slash line of .285/.421/.532 with 201 homers.
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