The Boston Red Sox are reportedly entering themselves into the sweepstakes to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto in free agency this offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, Soto is "at the top of [Boston's] want list," and the Red Sox are scheduled to meet with Soto this week.

Per Mark W. Sanchez and Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Yankees and New York Mets are set to meet with Soto as well. It was also reported by Passan that the Toronto Blue Jays will be the first team to meet with Soto.

After spending parts of five seasons with the Washington Nationals and parts of two seasons with the San Diego Padres, Soto was traded to the Yankees last offseason when it became clear he intended to test free agency.

The Yanks acquired Soto without any assurances he would re-sign, but the decision paid dividends, as he played a massive role in New York reaching the World Series for the first time since 2009.

Soto slashed .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs, 109 RBI and 128 runs scored in his only season with the Yankees to date, which was good enough to make him a finalist for American League MVP.

If that wasn't enough, the four-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion showed he can still get it done in the postseason as well, hitting .327 with four homers and nine RBI in 14 playoff games for the Yankees.

Losing Soto to any team would be a major blow to the Yankees since he and Aaron Judge formed arguably the best one-two punch in baseball last season, but Soto signing with the Yanks' biggest rival in the Red Sox would add insult to injury.

The Red Sox have bragging rights over the Yankees to some degree since they have won two World Series since New York last won it all in 2009, but the past few years have been a massive struggle for Boston.

For the first time since 2010 to 2012, the Red Sox have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, posting records of 78-84, 78-84 and 81-81. To make matters even worse, they have only one playoff appearance in the past six seasons.

By comparison, the Yankees have seven playoff appearances in the past eight seasons, although they reached the World Series only once during that timeframe.

Few things could speed up Boston's timeline and make it both a playoff and World Series contender more quickly than signing a 26-year-old, MVP-caliber hitter in Soto.

Adding Soto to a core of Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran would give the Red Sox one of the most dynamic lineups in baseball, and it would perhaps allow them to leapfrog the Yankees for the distinction of AL East favorites.

Of course, pitching is still a huge issue for the Red Sox, but Passan noted that they intend to be aggressive on that front as well.

Only a limited amount of teams can afford to pay Soto a contract that is likely to rival the 19-year, $700 million deal Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers last offseason, and his market seems to be taking shape.

Along with the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox and Blue Jays, Heyman reported this week that the Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and two mystery teams are expected to meet with Soto in southern California.

Soto's agent, Scott Boras, told ESPN's Jorge Castillo earlier this month that winning is Soto's No. 1 priority.

The Red Sox have not done as much winning in recent years as the Yankees, Dodgers and Mets, but if their offer is strong enough, they may be able to convince him that he is the missing ingredient to a winning formula.