“The Sox’s biggest need is a top-of-the-rotation starter,” Rosenthal wrote. “If they come away with Soto, they might prefer to complement him with a trade for the Chicago White Sox’s Garrett Crochet, who will earn a projected $2.9 million in arbitration and remain under club control through 2026.”

For the Red Sox, signing Soto would show the baseball world they are once again a player in the free-agent market. We’ve been here before. In 2000, the Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez to an eight-year, $160 million contract that shocked the baseball world. Manny proved to be worth the price, eventually winning a pair of World Series titles.

Social media has been a wild place to be over the last week with constant rumors, reports and speculation about the Juan Soto sweepstakes coming in every hour or so. For the Boston Red Sox and their fan base,