“The Sox’s biggest need is a top-of-the-rotation starter,” Rosenthal wrote. “If they come away with Soto, they might prefer to complement him with a trade for the Chicago White Sox’s Garrett Crochet, who will earn a projected $2.9 million in arbitration and remain under club control through 2026.”

That the Boston Red Sox have been making an all-out push to sign generational free agent slugger Juan Soto has been widely reported. Now, a new report states that of the teams believed to be in contention for Soto the Red Sox have raced to the front of the pack.

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.