Juan Soto's Decision Will Cause Philadelphia Phillies To Wait in Pursuit of Slugger

The Philadelphia Phillies ideal target doesn't sound likely to sign until Juan Soto decides on his future club.

Oct 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after a strikeout against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth inning during game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have been linked to outfielder Anthony Santander in recent weeks, most recently by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

He hinted at the Phillies trading Nick Castellanos to open up a spot for Santander and his expected $100-plus million contract.

"Nick Castellanos' name has surfaced on the trade market, which would potentially open the door for the Phillies to pursue Santander. Even if Castellanos isn't moved, the addition of Santander would make sense, allowing Brandon Marsh to move to center field on a full-time basis or to platoon with Johan Rojas."

As the insider touched on, Philadelphia doesn't have to trade Castellanos, however, doing so could help take money off their payroll so they can look to spend elsewhere.

The Phillies are expected to be aggressive this winter, doing everything possible to improve a roster that has come up short in the playoffs.

Landing Santander, a switch-hitting outfielder who blasted 44 home runs last year, could put this ball club over the top.

Santander, however, might not know what his market looks like until Juan Soto makes his decision.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, his market is being impacted by Soto, and until the left-handed slugger decides where he plans to play, Santander and others "are on hold."

Waiting for Soto's decision was expected, but Rosenthal confirmed it.

There's a scenario where the Phillies could jump the gun and offer Santander a deal above market price now and hope he takes it.

Let's say Santander plans to seek $110 million over a certain amount of years. If Philadelphia is willing to give him $135 million right now, perhaps he'd take it.

On the one hand, overspending isn't wise, but the Phillies have money to spend, and if they truly believe he'd get them to the top, an extra $25 million to persuade him wouldn't be the end all be all.

From Santander's perspective, he might believe waiting could benefit him.

If one of the New York teams doesn't land Soto, they'd have a boatload of money to give him, which could end up changing his contract discussions in a positive way.

There's a lot to consider, but if one thing is certain, Soto's decision should get the market going whenever it happens.