“There’s a lot of ways to accomplish what we set out to do.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora fielded questions from the media at MLB’s Winter Meetings on Monday.
Beyond his comments about potential Red Sox target Alex Bregman, here are a few more highlights from Cora’s latest scrum. Moving on from Soto
The Red Sox’ efforts to sign superstar slugger Juan Soto came up short on Sunday, with the outfielder signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets in what stands as the largest contract handed out in professional sports history.
The Red Sox’ final offer to Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, was “around $700 million for 15 years,” according to MassLive’s Sean McAdam.
An established slugger and on-base machine in the prime of his career like the 26-year-old Soto would be a transformative presence in Boston’s lineup.
But Cora stressed that the Red Sox have already pivoted and have several contingency plans in place after losing out on the record-breaking bidding process.
“We have Plan A, Plan A1, A2, A3, A4,” Cora said of how the Red Sox move on. “So there’s a lot of ways to accomplish what we set out to do. We’ve been talking about winning the division, right, and making it to the playoffs. And there’s different avenues, different ways, and we can attack them, and hopefully we can execute.”
Even though Boston has little to show for when it comes to the team’s aggressive pursuit of Soto, Cora said he enjoyed playing a part in the recruitment process.