Yankees should worry more about Red Sox than Mets in Juan Soto free agency chase

Juan Soto's departure from the New York Yankees would be bad enough. If he lands in the same city? That would be frustrating. If he lands in the AL East? That would be an absolute haymaker. If he lands with the Boston Red Sox? Burn it down. Just torch it.

One of Soto's early free agency meetings was with the Sox this past week. It supposedly lasted three hours and it went well. Ok then ...

It's quite possible Boston is involved as a formality. They are a big market team, and in order to play the game with Scott Boras clients, they can't forgo a face-to-face meeting with one of the best hitters of his generation.

Or ... they could be as serious as the Yankees and Mets. If this comes down purely to money, Soto probably isn't going to sign with the Red Sox. But if it comes down to a mix of money, franchise history and organizational outlook for the next decade, there's a very good chance Boston is a legitimate dark horse here.

Soto's meeting with the Sox didn't involve any contract discussions, per Sean McAdam of MassLive.com. Here's what he said about the meeting:

"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."

Juan Soto Free Agency: Red Sox a bigger threat to Yankees than Mets?

Given the Red Sox's financial flexibility, their deep and top-ranked farm system, and infusion of young talent on the MLB roster, Soto could be swayed toward their "plan" if we're talking about potential stability and success over the long haul. The Yankees do not have a good farm system, and that's accompanied by a top-heavy payroll that has no end in sight.

Additionally, the Red Sox have little roster turnover. Nick Pivetta and Kenley Jansen are expected to depart, but that doesn't affect much. And Tyler O'Neill hitting free agency actually helps with alleviating the outfield logjam. Upgrades were neeeded, anyway.

Boston is reportedly already "talking" to Blake Snell and Max Fried about contracts (and those are Boras clients, too). Adding one or two of those guys would likely force the Yankees' hand to make a move with their starting rotation since there are question marks with Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt.

If we've long talked about how Soto has little reason to take the highest offer regardless of destination because he's going to make historic money anyway, then why wouldn't that apply to the Sox, who might not be the most attractive destination right now but could actually be a powerhouse for the next decade with Soto in the fold?

The Sox getting an early meeting in the process might have first appeared like Soto was doing his due diligence (he just reportedly met with the Blue Jays, too), but that quickly could have changed. After all, we haven't heard a single detail from Soto's meeting with the Jays, but we already have a all of this information coming out of Boston?

It's very possible Soto will seek the most money, but the extensive layout of the Sox's presentation could suggest there are other factors at stake (very much like Yankees fans suspected all along). There's already evidence of his supposed Boston fandom based on old interviews, and while the Sox's teardown post-2018 World Series has been embarrassing, they've actually built a respectable roster since. With a few impact additions before 2025, this a championship contender.

Meanwhile, the Yankees don't have much financial/trade wiggle room (and Soto witnessed their deficiencies firsthand). The Mets have countless impending free agents, including a majority of whom contributed to their magical NLCS run. The Blue Jays have largely gone backwards. The Dodgers probably don't have the capability to add Soto to the payroll. We've yet to hear about a Phillies meeting, despite them being a great fit.

The Red Sox's lone six-figure contract over the last five years was Trevor Story. If they were waiting for an offseason to spend, it's this one — when Soto and a number of star free agent pitchers are available. If they did anything correctly, it's that they picked the correct window to go silent before some of the biggest free agents of the modern era hit the open market.

So, yeah, sleeping on the Sox could have drastic consequences for Yankees fans.