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Padres Struggling To Extend Juan Soto; Could Slugger End Up With Red Sox?

This conversation should be tabled for now but worth noting
Scott Neville|
Padres Struggling To Extend Juan Soto; Could Slugger End Up With Red Sox?
Padres Struggling To Extend Juan Soto; Could Slugger End Up With Red Sox?

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Boston Red SoxSan Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres notably went way out of their way to pry star shortstop Xander Bogaerts away from the Boston Red Sox with a contract that nobody saw coming. 

The Red Sox could have a chance to get them back but it'd be one of the biggest moves in the history of the franchise. 

With a lot of money tied into a plethora of stars -- Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Fernanto Tatis Jr., Yu Darvish -- the Padres have not emptied whatever remains in their bank account to keep the last remaining star in San Diego long term, Juan Soto. 

(The Padres) did make a call, it was brief," MLB Network's Jon Heyman said on "MLB Central." "They did not go anywhere." 

Heyman continued to explain that an extension will be very tough between the money tied up to other stars and Soto's age -- he's only 24 years old.

Could the Red Sox get involved? Many expect Boston to go over the luxury tax after resetting this season. Soto is not a free agent until after next season but the move would be substantial enough to think about years in advance. 

Obviously, the Red Sox front office and ownership would not make this move with revenge on the forefront of their minds but it would be a fun little wrinkle -- and the only way Bogaerts leaving could turn into a positive. 

Unless chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom departs, I would not expect the Red Sox to have great odds entering a potential Soto sweepstakes. However, if the team undergoes another brutal season or two and attendance continues to dip, ownership would be forced to go back to their big-budget ways.

That would likely require the team to invest in either Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani this offseason or Soto in two years. Either one would alter the course of the franchise. 

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Released Once Highly-Touted Flamethrowing Closer

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Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's "Boston Red Sox On SI." Before launching the site (formerly called Inside The Red Sox), Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series," where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group (rebranded to On SI) in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Boston Red Sox On SI." Since then, he's added eight more regional sites with the company. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: scott@moreviewsmedia.com

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