Juan Soto rumors: One suitor, a Yankees rival, sees him as a designated hitter

Juan Soto the hitter is perceived a lot differently than Juan Soto the fielder — even as the former will get him paid and the latter resulted in him being a finalist for the Gold Glove in right field.
The reality is that Soto is at best an average right fielder and more universally seen as a below average one. The $600-plus million contract and commitment of at least 13 years he’s likely to receive from his next team — whether that’s the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays or somewhere else — will be tied to his generational and Hall of Fame-worthy bat. Still, as with all players and contracts, teams project and map out the future beyond the offensive stats.
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One suitor, the Boston Red Sox, who have a meeting set with Soto and agent Scott Boras for this week, views Soto as a hitter only.
The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams wrote Thursday that Soto would be a “seamless” lineup fit, but “Fenway’s right field plays more like center and, internally, Soto is almost seen as a designated hitter.”
Most likely, interested teams view Soto in a similar way, though that won’t stop them from playing him in right field for at least the next few years, hoping that positioning can mitigate the dependence on him in the field. Improvements can’t be written off: He’s still only 26 and in the middle of his prime.
While Soto’s fielding ability is the only blight on his resume, it won’t affect his market or potentially record-setting contract. The hitting ability — a career 160 OPS+ and 36.4 WAR (Baseball Reference) — is just too good. But the defense could eventually warrant a discussion and precipitate a lineup change (to DH) in the future. He had a 1 defensive run saved last season, and his Statcast metrics reveal well below-average range with a strong arm. Reports indicated this season that he cared and worked hard at improving his performance in the outfield.
Again, none of this will matter if he remains one of the best hitters in baseball.
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