DALLAS - It was back in August when a seemingly unthinkable plan was surfaced in the Red Sox' offices. Craig Breslow had an idea: His club should enter into the rarified air that would be negotiating for the services of Juan Soto.
It was a notion that few in baseball believed would ever be a reality ... until the Red Sox found themselves as one of the few clubs deemed serious enough to actually score a meeting with the elite free agent.
It was a pursuit that led the Red Sox to actually believing there might be a chance Soto would be coming to Boston ... all the way up until some of the the chief decision-makers in the organization went out to eat Sunday night. But it was at that meal - with Soto's agent Scott Boras sitting just a few tables away - the Sox got news that they were waking up from this improbable dream.
The Mets had won the services of Soto, who agreed to a 15-year, $765 million that could be pushed up to $800 million with escalators. (According to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, the outfielder can opt-out after his fifth season, an option he can void by adding $4 million to each of the final 10 years of the deal, which would bump the contract up to $805 million.)
It was a level the Red Sox - or any other team - were not ready to land at.
One executive from one of the teams involved (not the Red Sox) simply classified the end result as "so predictable" thanks mostly due to the presence of Mets owner Steve Cohen.
But, make no mistake about it, when Sunday started it was certainly no given in the minds of many of those involved with the Red Sox that the Mets were going to win out. In fact, most of the Boston contingent believed the Yankees were the favorites. They were the team, after all, that - among the suitors - undoubtedly needed Soto the most.
But just like the Red Sox, Dodgers and Blue Jays, the Yankees didn't do enough. According to Jon Heyman, the Yanks went to one more year than the Mets, but $5 million less
According to sources, Los Angeles' offer was over $600 million but not into the $700 million threshold the other four clubs existed at. The Red Sox? They were offering a 15-year deal that would have paid in the neighborhood of $700 million. The Sox did contemplate extending the years offered to as many as 17 years, with Soto's age (26) making such an approach palatable.
The final offer from the Red Sox was significantly higher than where they had started, which was the first of what would be three levels of proposals. That first one came in at just more than $500 million.
Perhaps the most significant clue that Boras and Soto wouldn't be scrambling for their desired record-setting end-game came when the Red Sox simply asked for the level it was going to take to put forth a competitive bid. They were instead told the player and his representatives would be sticking to the three-tier bidding process, immediately signaling there would be no desperation on behalf of Soto.
Still, there was hope from the Red Sox' side of things that Soto was intrigued by the extensive Boston pitch. According to sources, the aspect of the Sox' presentation that seemingly most intrigued the slugger was the idea that he would be viewed as the undeniable longtime face of the franchise. He was going to be Boston's next David Ortiz, Soto's childhood hero.
So, what now?
The Red Sox will turn to using some of the resources not spent on Soto to make plays for other high-priced free agents, such as pitchers Max Fried and Corbin Burnes, along with outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.
But, per sources, one of the players the Red Sox might immediately be prioritizing is Alex Bregman. The longtime Astro - who will be 31 years old on Opening Day in 2025 - would necessitate surrendering a draft pick since he was tagged with a qualifying offer by Houston. But Bregman does check off a lot of key boxes for the Sox.
He hits from the right side, could slide in as the Sox' starting second baseman, a position he is open to playing, and represents the type of veteran leadership the Red Sox are looking to add, particularly among the position player group. (Bregman is also represented by Boras.)
To reel in Bregman, the Red Sox' front office is certainly going to enter into a different level of discomfort. Such free agent pursuits necessitate such realities. Need proof? You aren't going to find anything better than what the Red Sox just experienced with Juan Soto.