Philadelphia Phillies Reportedly Slated To Meet With Juan Soto
It's been speculated that the Philadelphia Phillies would have interest in Juan Soto this offseason, but after their owner John Middleton stated he felt like the superstar slugger preferred to continue his career in New York, there were questions about if they would pursue him.
Soto is the exact player the Phillies should be going after for this winter, adding an elite talent to their outfield who gets on base at a high clip and doesn't strike out.
Inserting him into this lineup for the next decade alongside Bryce Harper and Trea Turner would keep their championship window open for a long time, while also allowing them to chase a World Series these next few years with how this roster is currently constructed.
Well, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Philadelphia is planning on meeting with the phenom even though nothing is officially scheduled yet.
That's a great sign.
Soto has already met with multiple teams this offseason that include the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and most recently, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Contract projections have varied when it comes to how much he might get, but for all intents and purposes, there's a good chance he gets the second-richest contract in Major League Baseball history with his agent, Scott Boras, potentially looking to break Shohei Ohtani's AAV record.
That's something to keep in mind for the Phillies.
Middleton hasn't flinched when it comes to spending money so far, and if he feels like Soto is the missing piece for his franchise, he could look to hand out even more cash.
Philadelphia might also have an advantage over all other teams not named the Yankees.
Soto loves hitting coach Kevin Long from their time together with the Washington Nationals, and he has great relationships with multiple players on this roster like Harper and Turner.
With the Phillies eventually meeting the slugger at some point, they are now giving themselves a chance to go out and land the best player on the market who could be a game changer for this team.