As the start of baseball’s annual winter meetings fast approaches, there’s a growing sense that free-agent outfielder Juan Soto could make his decision in the coming days, perhaps even before the meetings officially begin Monday in Dallas.

A source with knowledge of the process said Thursday that things are “coming to a head.” The Red Sox, along with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and perhaps the Los Angeles Dodgers are still involved.

It’s believed that every team that remains engaged on Soto has made an offer of at least $600 million, but with competition intensifying, one industry source said it would not be surprising if the winning bid surpassed the $700 million mark and perhaps even approached something closer to $800 million.

Shohei Ohtani signed the biggest contract in baseball history last winter, landing a 10-year, $700 million deal from the Dodgers. But that pact included huge deferrals, lowering the actual, present-day value to somewhere between $438 million (as determined by the Players Association) and $460 million (as calculated by MLB for the purpose of determining the CBT value).

Some — but not all — of the offers submitted to date for Soto have included deferred money.

There were reports Wednesday that Soto would be meeting with teams again before making a final decision, but an industry source said Thursday that wasn’t necessarily true and there are currently no additional meetings scheduled. It remains possible, however, that Soto could meet with teams in Dallas once teams begin to arrive there Sunday.

In Soto’s only face-to-face meeting with Red Sox personnel to date, principal owner John Henry was not present because of other commitments, with ownership represented by team president and CEO Sam Kennedy and team chairman Tom Werner.

Since then, it’s believed that Henry has spoken on several occasions with Soto’s representatives, but has yet to speak with Soto himself.

It’s been reported that Soto has been recruited by a number of Red Sox stars, past and present, in an effort to sell him on signing with Boston and coming to play for the Sox. But one baseball source indicated those reports had been “overblown.”

ATHLETICS: Right-hander Luis Severino and the Athletics have agreed to a $67 million, three-year contract, two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

It’s the largest deal ever for the low-budget franchise, topping a $66 million contract for third baseman Eric Chavez covering 2005-10.

There was skepticism the A’s could land a pricey free agent while planning to play the next three seasons in West Sacramento, California, before hopefully moving to a new stadium in Las Vegas. The A’s went 69-93 for their third straight losing season in 2024, then left Oakland after 57 seasons.

Severino, who turns 31 on Feb. 20, was a free agent for the second straight offseason after going 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA over 182 innings in his only season with the New York Mets, his best year since he was an All-Star for the second straight year with the New York Yankees in 2018.

OBIT: Bill Melton, a star slugger for the Chicago White Sox in the 1970s who later became a fixture on their broadcasts as a pregame and postgame TV analyst for more than two decades, has died. He was 79.

The team said he died early Thursday in Phoenix following a brief illness.

Born in Gulfport, Mississippi, Melton debuted with the White Sox in 1968 and spent eight of 10 major league seasons with the club. “Beltin’ Bill” hit 33 homers in 1970 and 1971, when he led the American League and made his lone All-Star team. No White Sox player had hit 30 in a season or led the league prior to that.

PIRATES: Brent Strom didn’t want his lengthy coaching career to end on a sour note after Arizona dismissed the longtime pitching guru in October.

A chance to write a happier ending awaits in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates hired Strom as assistant pitching coach.

The 76-year-old will work with Oscar Marin, the team’s pitching coach since 2020. Strom will also get a chance to mentor National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, who became a sensation the moment he made his big league debut in May.

ATHLETICS: The Las Vegas Stadium Authority is expected to approve a 30-year lease, non-relocation and development documents to clear the last major hurdles for the Athletics to construct a stadium on the Strip and bring Major League Baseball to the expanding sports market.

Other details would still need to be worked out, such as a development agreement with Clark County, but groundbreaking would likely take place with a scheduled opening for the 2028 season.

The cost for the A’s stadium has risen by $250 million to $1.75 billion because of inflation and added fan and player amenities, club executive Sandy Dean has said.