“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.”

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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.