“Stop…you weren't there": Juan Soto's meeting with Red Sox didn't take place for 3 hours, claims MLB analyst as potential deal becomes talk of town

While last year's offseason was defined by Shohei Ohtani's mega-deal, this year's offseason belongs to Juan Soto. The 26-year-old outfielder is the talk of the MLB community as he is staring down potentially one of the richest contracts in baseball history.

Even though Soto's free agency is going to define the offseason, it is unlikely that it comes to an end any time soon. Thanks to the money that could be handed out, as well as the fact that his agent is the polarizing Scott Boras makes it seem that this could drag on for some time. Couple all that with the fact that Soto is expected to meet with any interested team and it seems like it may take a while.

One of these meetings took place on Thursday night as the four-time All-Star met with the Boston Red Sox. Although the Red Sox have been inconsistent with the amount of money that they are willing to spend in recent years, according to reports, the meeting between the team and Juan Soto lasted 3 hours and was a productive one.

On the latest episode of Foul Territory, MLB analyst and former catcher Erik Kratz questioned the report, specifically the time of which the meeting took place. Productive meeting or not, Kratz refused to believe that it lasted three hours.

"Why do they have to make a meeting about a professional baseball player, big leaguer, 3 hours long? To me, I don't think it was 3 hours, no way Juan's sitting there. Now, maybe we had a meal, maybe we took an hour and half, 2 hours to wine and dine, totally. But don't tell me we had a 3 hour sit-down presentation," Kratz said of the meeting.

The Boston Red Sox brought several members of the organization to the meeting in Southern California, including President Sam Kennedy, Chairman Tom Werner, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, and Manager Alex Cora. While the details behind the meeting remain unclear, what is certain is that Juan Soto and his representatives were given a comprehensive look at Boston's front office staff.

"All that stuff could easily be sent, easily be told. 3 hour meeting, stop, that didn't happen. You weren't there for 3 hours," Kratz continued.

Juan Soto will continue taking meetings as the offseason rolls along

While word of a productive meeting with Boston's front office staff is certainly encouraging for Red Sox fans looking to see the outfielder in their uniform, it does not guarantee anything. No matter how well the meeting with the Red Sox went, Soto and his representatives will be meeting with several times (likely more than once) throughout the offseason.

The New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays are among the clubs who will have an opportunity to convince the superstar on why he should join their squad. There is a chance that some meetings may be less legitimate than others, however, getting an opportunity to meet with Soto is better than not. Things are going to get interesting.