There is a precedent — one that Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper partially set — that the biggest superstar during an MLB offseason takes his time.
In stark contrast to other sports, like the NFL or NBA which see a huge flurry of activity in the first few days of free agency, baseball's offseason is a long grind, just like its regular season.
It's possible Juan Soto, the prize of free agency and a franchise-transforming outfielder, won't make his decision until sometime next year. But that just means there's more time for a team like the Phillies to campaign for him.
With a strong connection from former teammates of Soto — like Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, who played with the 26-year-old when he was too young to even order a beer in Washington — the Phillies have the money and the willpower to stretch their payroll by $40-plus million dollars to solve their outfield problem.
Actually, Soto solves quite a few problems. He can hit for power, and for average. He can get on base and run. He plays very good defense. He does it all.
But reports from earlier this offseason have made it sound like Soto prefers one of the New York teams, with the World Series Champion Dodgers likely third down on his list. Are the Phillies even in the mix?
The Blue Jays, Red Sox and Mets have all had meetings with Soto, and the Yankees are believed to have met with Soto and his agent Scott Boras on Monday, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
Another snippet from Feinsand:
One source said Soto had spoken with at least one other team besides those that have been reported, thrusting the good ol’ mystery club into the equation.
According to sources, other teams that could meet with Soto include the Giants, Phillies and Rays. Tampa Bay would appear to be a long shot, particularly now that the club will be playing home games in 2025 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., following the damage to the Tropicana Field roof sustained last month during Hurricane Milton.
Soto is expected to command a deal worth well north of $500 million, possibly even higher than $600 million depending on the length of the deal.
[…]
“It’s the Yankees or the Mets,” one American League executive said recently 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.” [MLB.com]
If nothing else, Soto is doing his due diligence. It sounds like the Phillies could definitely get a meeting, though it's unclear why it would remain a secret. It's also unclear if the Phillies can outspend the Mets.
The Soto to the Phillies fantasy seems to be just that, but you never know. Get Harper and some other Phillies teammates in a room with Soto to talk about playing in Philadelphia and maybe they'll convince him. Also money talks. John Middleton recently took on some new investors as minority owners of the franchise, potentially injecting more cash to spend on keeping the team a World Series contender.
Either way, having a Plan B, Plan C, and so on makes some sense. Because the Phillies can't run it back a third time after two back-to-back premature postseason exits.
MORE: Rumors points to new Phillies third baseman for 2025
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