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Mets' Juan Soto Breaks Silence on Free Agency Negotiations With Red Sox

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Conor Liguori | Last updated May 20, 2025 8:03 PM ET

Outfielder Juan Soto was the best player on the free agent market during the past Major League Baseball offseason.

Clubs rumored to be in the race for Soto's services included the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox.

After helping lead Aaron Judge and the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009, Soto signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets.

Before making his final decision, Soto met with the Red Sox and recently said he was impressed by the organization's pitch for him to play his home games at Fenway Park.

“It was pretty fun, they [Red Sox] showed a lot of love,” Soto told The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey.

“I really appreciated what they did and what they brought to the table. I think it was really impressive, what they bring over. I definitely sat down and looked at it, and looked at the offers and everything they had for me. At the end of the day, we went in another direction.”

According to McCaffrey, Boston's contract offer to Soto was 15 years and $700 million. She added that the Red Sox's offer far exceeded the largest contract in franchise history, the 10-year, $313.5 million deal designated hitter Rafael Devers signed in 2023.

Soto noted that the Red Sox were in serious contention in his free agency sweepstakes, and not that far off from the Mets and Yankees.

“Yes, they [Red Sox] really were right there, they were at the top of the list,” Soto told McCaffrey. “They were pushing really hard, but I made decisions at the end of the day.”

Before Tuesday's game against the Red Sox, Soto batted .246 with eight home runs and a .815 OPS in 47 games, a few levels below the typical offensive production he's provided during his eight-year MLB career.

The Red Sox allocated the money they planned on using to sign Soto and secured a three-year, $120 million contract with former Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman. Bregman can opt out of his contract with Boston at season's end.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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