The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees engage in one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports each year. But this offseason, that rivalry dives even deeper than when the two American League East powerhouses match up on the field.

Yankees superstar outfielder Juan Soto is a free agent and New York is desperately trying to sign him back. But the Red Sox are also going after Soto much more aggressively than anybody anticipated they would.

Boston was one of the first teams to meet with Soto in person, doing so this week. Team president Sam Kennedy, chairman Tom Werner, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, and manager Alex Cora were all there in person to meet with Soto and his representation.

“Soto was said to be impressed by the Red Sox’ presentation, which included a video taking note of the franchise’s history of star players from the Dominican Republic, Soto’s native country,” McAdam wrote. “The Red Sox laid out their plans for the future and highlighted the crop of soon-to-be-arriving top prospects while giving a detailed outline of ownership and Fenway Sports Group.”

During the lead-up to these meetings, the Red Sox were looked at as an afterthought in the Soto sweepstakes, but after this meeting, there seems to be some traction there.

There was no formal offer put on the table and there likely won’t be one for some time, but if the Red Sox think they have the money to compete in a bidding war with the Yankees, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays, this offseason could get very interesting.