NEW YORK — About an hour after Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke about his team’s strong interest in signing uber-coveted free agent Juan Soto at the MLB owners meetings, Sam Kennedy took his turn. While the Red Sox president and CEO was far less specific than the Yankees owner, Kennedy made it clear his team is pursuing the gifted outfielder. With the outcome of a successful pursuit of Soto in doubt because of competition from other well-heeled teams besides the Yankees like the Mets, Dodgers, and Phillies, Kennedy wants it to be known that the Red Sox are ready to spend.
If the the Sox are unable to snag Soto, a sense of “extreme urgency internally” is driving the team to spend elsewhere on players who can yank it out ofa multi-year occupancy in the mire of mediocrity. “Even if it takes us over the CBT,” said Kennedy, referring to the first threshold of the competitive balance tax that stands at $241 million next year. “Our priority is 90 to 95 wins, and winning the American League East, and winning the division for multiple years.
”Kennedy also spoke of winning multiple World Series over the next decade. Last season, when the Red Sox played . 500 baseball, the Red Sox spent $224 million-plus, according to Spotrac, and it has some $131.
9 million accounted for 2025. A contract for Soto is projected to run anywhere from 12 to 15 years with a total value likely to exceed $600 million. The team already has one decade-long contract on the books with Rafael Devers at $313 million.
Could the team afford another mega-deal? “Is that possible? If that’s what it takes, yeah, absolutely,” Kennedy said.
“We are investing more than we did last year. We intend to invest going forward. “There is an extreme urgency internally to be competing for the American League East Championship and to set ourselves up for a deep postseason run in 2025 without question.
The goal is to win 90 plus games to not be worrying about a wild-card spot. ”Kennedy confirmed reports of the meeting in California with Soto and his agent Scott Boras went “very well,” with chief of baseball operations Craig Breslow, manager Alex Cora, and chairman Tom Werner also on hand for the three-hour plus presentation. Steinbrenner answered questions from a gaggle of reporters in the lobby of MLB headquarters for nearly 15 minutes.
Kennedy did not want to even mention Soto’s name. “I’m not allowed to talk about the player but it’s going to be that person’s decision,” said Kennedy, who spoke with one reporter. The interview was interrupted in the middle by a phone call from David Ortiz.
Kennedy did not divulge what the two spoke about but he appeared quite pleased by the conversation. The Red Sox have met with free agent slugger Juan Soto in hopes that the next home run he hits at Fenway Park will be for them, as opposed to when he celebrated slugging a shot for the Yankees there last season. Brian Fluharty/GettyAfter the call, Kennedy turned more serious in acknowledging that thethe Sox have their work cut out to regain the full faith of fans after three consecutive seasons without playoff baseball, and misses in five of the last six years.
“Look, we have to add, and that’s what we’re trying to do, but I think we’re in a good position to add right now,” Kennedy said. “We need more pitching, front of the rotation guys and bullpen. We feel good about our positional core, we really do.
A high priority is pitching but everything and anything’s on the table for us — free agency, trades, promotions from the minor leagues. ”Kennedy expressed characteristic optimism about how the team’s fortunes seem destined to change. “In our free agency discussions so far, there has been, I would say, a very strong feeling from agents and players that the Boston Red Sox are going to be a force over the next five to seven years, given the guys who have already emerged at the big league level and the guys who are coming from the Triple A and levels below that level,” he said.
To reach the team’s goal of winning the division and “hopefully” winning a World Series at least once over the next four seasons, “that’s going to take shrewd investment in free agency, it’s going to take shrewd trades, and it’s going to take really disciplined and dedicated player development from the Major Leagues on down —improving guys at the big league level, as well as guys throughout the minor league system. ”On other matters, Kennedy said the Red Sox hope to be awarded an All-Star Game no later than 2029. Fenway Park last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 1999.
The team was hoping to have made more progress on its mixed-use “Fenway Corners” development plan by now. In part because of a drop in commercial real estate demand and high interest rates, the project is moving slowly, Kennedy said. When construction does begin, the first project will likely be on Lansdowne Street, behind the Green Monster, on a mix of bars, restaurants, and perhaps a small live music venue.
The Sox would move their offices out of Fenway Park and atop the new buildings. The vacated space in the ballpark would be used to likely expand the concourse and provide dedicated space for season-ticket holders. The new space will not expand ticketed capacity.
Kennedy reiterated that Fenway Sports Group is not planning on bidding to buy the Celtics. “We are entirely focused on our existing portfolio — we have our hands full,” Kennedy said. A promotion to CEO of FSG has not limited the time Kennedy spends on the Red Sox.
“I would say that the PGA Tour deal did take a lot of time last year, but my time is about the same in terms of the split,” he said. Breslow, who was hired 13 months ago, works “like a seasoned veteran,” according to Kennedy. “He’s not operating in some sort of theoretical, philosophical environment, he’s focused on things that, in his mind, are going to result in wins and he’s been very uncompromising and disciplined in that,” Kennedy said.
“We’ve made a lot of changes as a result of that, which are hard, but he is incredibly focused and committed to the goal that we’ve set for the organization. ”Michael Silverman can be reached at michael. silverman@globe.
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