The Juan Soto sweepstakes have been, in one word, surprising! Well, first because even those who were not seen as contenders have come out strong. Take the Toronto Blue Jays, for example, who are ready to spend the money that they were originally to give Shohei Ohtani had he not left for the LA Dodgers. And another surprising entry to the race for Soto is the Boston Red Sox!

After years of belt-tightening and payroll reductions, plus them just focused on nurturing their young core force, they seem to be poised as a major spender. The insiders had predicted that the Red Sox would be ‘aggressive’ this season, and it is panning out as such. However, not everyone believes that the Red Sox are actually serious in their pursuit, at least not Jeff Passan, and he expressed what he thinks without mincing words.

Red Sox’s Juan Soto pursuit under fire

During ESPN Baseball Tonight, Buster Olney highlighted his skepticism of the Boston Red Sox’s pursuit of Juan Soto. He mentioned the last off-season when co-owner Tom Werner claimed the team would “go full throttle.” However, that promise just remained a punchline. And even Jeff Passan agreed with him!

Jeff Passan, highlighting the Red Sox’s spending history, said, “With the Red Sox, I wonder… And I wonder because the Red Sox just haven’t spent in recent years. So suddenly, have they found religion? Have they understood that carrying a payroll near the CBT [competitive balance tax] is worth doing?” Passan also highlighted the potential advantage of having young talents like Kyle Teel or Kristian Campbell, which could then allow the team to splurge somewhere else.

While Passan is skeptical, the Boston Red Sox leadership is committed to the fact that they are serious. Well, they have a secret weapon that other teams don’t!

David Ortiz shuts down critics

It’s not just Passan who has found loopholes and doubts over Red Sox’s pursuit of Soto. Recently, MLB analyst Mike Giardi pointed blank and said, “There is no way in hell they are going to pay this man this money.” Even Jon Morosi highlighted major doubts, saying, “I will be surprised if Juan Soto becomes a Red Sox.” However, David Ortiz, who is literally like the Red Sox’s secret weapon, spearheading Soto to come to Fenway, dismissed all these claims.

In fact, Big Papi was asked to pitch to Juan Soto about why he should come to the Red Sox, and he was ready with a brief speech. “He’s going to feel like he’s playing at home in the Dominican Republic, and he’s going to have in his corner his Godfather, Big Papi,” said David Ortiz. And as far as the rumors about the team not being serious, David Ortiz said, “They’re not faking it. Trust me, I’m trying to do my homework also to see if we can hire him because that’s what Mr. Henry wants… They are trying hard.” Well, it remains to see who comes out on the right side in this debate.

However, one thing is for sure: Soto sure has a lot of teams wanting him, and it’s not going to be easy to choose where he remains for 15 years. Where do you think he will go? Let us know!