Could Juan Soto Actually Sign With The Phillies?
Juan Soto is the prize gem of the free agent class in the MLB this off-season. If it was not for his teammate Aaron Judge, there would be a very strong case that Juan Soto should be the AL MVP. He is 2nd in OPS, 3rd in HRs, 3rd in SLG, and 2nd in OBP.
Those stats are nothing new. He has had an OBP over .400 in every single season of his career. He has hit at least 30 HRs in 3 of his 7 seasons and was on a 30+ HR pace in 2 more. He had a SLG over .500 in 6 of those seasons. The point is that Juan Soto is very good at baseball. So good in fact, if he were on the Phillies, he would be the best player on the team, which is saying a lot considering Bryce Harper is on the Phillies.
But is the an actual possibility? Is there a real chance Juan Soto could be wearing red Pinstripes next year? They have been tied to him via trade in the past, and going back two years some experts were saying to watch out for the Phillies when he hits Free Agency. Now that he is a free agent, could they land him?
It may seem like a pipe dream, but people who are in the know, keep telling us to not rule it out. It may not be likely, but the Phillies are in the mix to land Soto.
Experts Say Phillies Have a Chance At Juan Soto
Bob Nightengale has reported The Phillies will “strongly pursue” Juan Soto, noting he is a Scott Boras client like Bryce Harper. Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton both happen to have very good relationships with Scott Boras.
Jim Bowden also thinks they have a chance.
“…don’t be surprised if they make a stealth run at Juan Soto. Dave Dombrowski’s calling card has always been to pursue the biggest stars on the market…the Phillies have plenty of future payroll space to shock the world and sign him.”
We did not see that play out last off-season, but we did see it happen the year before with Trea Turner, and then he made a few smaller splashes the year before that with names like Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.
Bowden expanded on his thoughts on MLB Network Radio, noting how much money the Phillies have coming off the books in the next couple of years and how that makes it easier to fit Juan Soto in.
“JT Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber’s $38 million comes off the books after ’25. Castellanos’ $20 million comes off the books in ’26… That’s $58 million bucks coming off…
“So if I do a 15-year deal… I can show my owner how I’m not increasing payroll. I’m just gonna back load the first couple years a little bit, I’m gonna show him that pathway, on that balance sheet, I’m gonna show him how it absolutely fits.”
Jayson Stark said on 97.5 The Fanatic to not rule it out. Pointing out they have an owner who wants to win in John Middleton, and he will spend whatever it takes to do so.
“The owner wants to win and the owner is willing to pay whatever it takes if the player he’s purchasing is the missing piece. I think they would view Juan Soto as a franchise-changing figure. I don’t think that is going to happen. But if the money is there, and the winning part and the connection with the hitting coach is there, why would it be zero?”
That said, while Jon Heyman put them in the mix, he also noted they are long shots.
But there is smoke there, and where there is smoke, there could be fire. I am not saying go out and get a custom made Juan Soto jersey before he signs here, because it is still a long shot. But you can allow yourself to dream a little bit. They are in the mix.
Juan Soto has heavily implied he will go where the most money is. There are a lot of teams with a lot of money pursuing him, notably the Yankees and the Mets. But the Phillies have the money too. As Bowden pointed out, they have a lot of mone coming off the books soon. Stark pointed out they have an owner willing to spend that money.
For a player like Juan Soto, it is worth it. You saw how he transformed that Yankees team. You saw with the Dodgers how adding a big name can take a perennial choker to being a champion. The Phillies should, and likely will, do everything in their power to land Juan Soto.
But for more realistic options, you can read the article attached below.
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