Red Sox Given ‘Darkhorse’ Tag Amid Juan Soto Sweepstakes

The Boston Red Sox are still believed to be in contention for superstar slugger Juan Soto, but so are the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.

New York has actually remained the most likely landing spot — whether that be in Queens or The Bronx — according to those familiar with negotiations.

ESPN had some of those people familiar with negotiations answer a few pertinent questions, and one of them believes there’s still a legitimate chance the 26-year-old ends up in Boston.

“I agree with everything that has been written and still believe it will come down to what basically all of us expected when this process began — Yankees or Mets, but the three other known finalists — the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox — all made competitive offers, presumably north of $600 million,” Alden Gonzalez wrote on Friday. “If I’m picking one dark horse here, I’ll go with the Red Sox, another major-market team with a fellow Dominican star in Rafael Devers and cash to burn.”

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow indirectly addressed the pursuit of Soto and, more specifically, how the club could potentially pivot if it misses out on the generational talent. Boston still is believed to be in the fight, however.