Want to be World Series favorites next year (or at least be second to the Dodgers)? Add Juan Soto.
The eyes of the big market teams itching to win a championship will be on the four-time All-Star and Silver Slugger, who is the biggest prize of free agency this winter and will likely fetch a contract worth over half a billion dollars.
The Phillies really want to be in the mix, and they have some strong connections to the outfielder with former Washington teammates Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner on the roster already in Philly. The team has also not been shy to make it known they have deep, deep pockets and desperately want to make the biggest splash they can this winter.
But having already tasted success in the Big Apple, as Soto and the Yankees made it all the way to the Fall Classic last month, he might not seriously be considering Philadelphia as his long-term home. At least that's what MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand reported Tuesday:
The Yankees and Mets are expected to engage in a bidding war for the superstar slugger, and while other teams such as the Phillies, Dodgers, Giants and Nationals may dip their respective toes in the pool, the wide-ranging belief within the industry is that Soto will wind up in New York when all is said and done.
The only question is whether he’ll be calling Queens or the Bronx home.
“It’s the Yankees or the Mets,” one American League executive said when asked to handicap the Soto sweepstakes. “He knows the Yankees well after spending a year there, and Steve Cohen has enough money to give him whatever he wants if he decides he wants him badly enough. It’s tough for me to see Soto winding up anywhere else.”
Word is that Soto prefers to stay on the East Coast, which would be an obstacle for the Dodgers or any other West Coast club. The Phillies will likely take a shot at the four-time All-Star, a source said, hoping the presence of former Nationals teammates Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber and hitting coach Kevin Long could work to their advantage. But Soto had a taste of New York in 2024, helping the Yankees advance to the World Series in his first and only season in pinstripes. [MLB.com]
There are a bevy of other free agents who could help the Phillies improve, but none of them hold a candle to Soto, who is just 26 and has a ton of his prime years remaining. In contrast to the other stars on long-term deals, Soto would not be pushing 40 by the end of a potential long-term contract.
It sounds like Harper will need to once again toss his hat in the ring and help the Phillies campaign for Soto (like he did for most of the other Phillies free-agent signings). The team will need to out-bid the two New York clubs to have a real shot at signing him, too.
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