Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz would love for Juan Soto to sign with the Boston Red Sox in free agency.
Ortiz's comments on Thursday came in the wake of what was described as a "productive meeting" between Soto and the Red Sox as Boston ramps up their pursuit of the 26-year-old slugger.
Ortiz, who is a Red Sox legend, has mentored Soto for years, as both players hail from the Dominican Republic. Soto grew up watching Ortiz, Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez. Ortiz believes that Soto and fellow Dominican Rafael Devers could be Boston's new era of Ortiz and Ramirez.
"I'm telling you, we would have Manny and Papi for the left side," Ortiz told WEEI. "If there is a guy I would like to build a team around, it would have to be Juan Soto. Juan Soto speaks Spanish, and he speaks English, so he can communicate with both American and Latin players. He has that good vibe. I tell you what, the Yankees went that far this year because of him. He changed everything for them there. When you have a top player doing the things that he does, everybody follows up. That’s what they did over there. At the end of the day, he has incredible makeup.”
If Soto signs in Boston this offseason, he would quickly become a franchise cornerstone alongside Devers. The two sluggers could hold down the middle of the Red Sox order for years to come, much like Ortiz and Ramirez did for years in Boston.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as David Ortiz Compares Possible Juan Soto Addition to Legendary Red Sox Duo.
