The Juan Soto decision timeline is accelerating for the Red Sox and other bidders

In recent years, many of baseball’s top free agents have shown that they are in no rush to limit their options and sign with a particular team.

It’s not uncommon for elite players to wait until after the holidays to make a decision. Last year, some players didn’t sign until well after spring training began.

Juan Soto, undoubtedly the biggest star on the market this offseason, is not appearing on the same schedule. On the contrary, one person with knowledge of the process said there is a “very good” chance Soto will select his next team before the industry gathers in Dallas on Dec. 8 for the start of winter meetings.

That would certainly be an earlier decision than many had predicted. On the other hand, Soto is a unique talent. He is quite possibly the best all-around offensive player in the game and just turned 26 years old.

Soto has drawn interest and made personal visits to a handful of teams, including the Red Sox, New York Yankees, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. Any potential suitor understands the purchase price to attract Soto’s attention, which could rival or even exceed Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract from last winter.

It’s not like Scott Boras, Soto’s agent, needs to gather additional teams to start a bidding war. The four teams mentioned above are all connected in some way: the rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees is obvious, as is that between the Mets and the Yankees. And the Blue Jays are in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees. No further incentives are required.

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Additionally, all four teams have other needs on their offseason shopping list, and the longer the Soto decision drags out, the more options become available. If a team is going to lose to Soto, it’s better to know it in late November or early December than to find out weeks (or months) away.

It appears that each of the serious bidders has made initial offers to Soto, signaling their legitimate interest. It is likely that this is only the first of several rounds, but the process is undoubtedly underway. While things are unlikely to come to a head this holiday week, it would be no surprise if negotiations intensified and reached a conclusion in the first week of December.

At the same time, the Red Sox haven’t ignored the starter pitching market. Having already met with Blake Snell — possibly over Zoom rather than in person — the Red Sox are also monitoring Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. Before Yusei Kikuchi signed a three-year, $63 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, the Red Sox had reached out to left guard, although the level of their interest is uncertain.

According to an industry source, the Sox have remained quiet lately in trade talks surrounding Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox. Another unknown team has emerged as “very aggressive” in recent days with the White Sox, although it is believed the Red Sox still view the left-hander as an attractive option.