Time to wake up from the dream.
The Juan Soto saga is over, and the Red Sox did not get their man. This is been, by far, the most likely outcome all along, even if the fanbase did get worked up about the possibility of Soto stepping into the Williams/Yaz/Manny lineage of Red Sox left fielders. The Sox ended up offering around $700 million over 15 years which, while a lot of freaking money, didn’t end up particularly close to the Mets, who inked the future HOFer for $765 million, with escalators that could bring the whole deal up to $800 million. (Chris Cotillo, Sean McAdam, MassLive)
So where do the Red Sox pivot to now? In terms of finding impact bats, one more familiar name is off the board, as Tyler O’Neill signed a free agent deal with the Orioles. With the impending debuts of Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, the Sox will have a plethora of outfield options next year. But the Red Sox may be hesitant to start either prospect in the big leagues, and O’Neill’s departure does even more left-right damage to an already unbalanced lineup. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
How about, uh, Alex Bregman? Per sources, he has become one of the Red Sox top priorities in the wake of the Soto failure. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
With Rafael Devers currently playing third base, a Bregman deal would necessitate some big changes in the Red Sox roster. Perhaps that’s why the Red Sox have already offered up Triston Casas in a deal for a pitcher. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Triston Casas is to OTM in 2024 what Jonathan Taylor Thomas was to Tiger Beat in 1996, which is to say that, if the Sox trade Casas, I am going to break things. So maybe they should just give some money to some pitchers instead? They have already met with free agents Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
If you’re too sad to think about the free agent market, maybe some Rule 5 Draft coverage can pick you up. Here’s a rundown of some of the best talent available. (Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com)