Should the Philadelphia Phillies Plan to Pursue Juan Soto?

The Philadelphia Phillies have opened up a championship window. Should they consider pursuing Juan Soto in free agency?

Jul 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) at bat against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies have opened up a championship window. While they have a solid shot to win it all this season, they should be in contention for years to come as well.

With that in mind, there is a very real chance that they could put together a very aggressive win-now offseason.

If they choose to do that, could the Phillies consider pursuing superstar outfielder Juan Soto?

Soto is expected to command a contract worth around $500 million or even higher over the course of 10 to 12 years. That is a lot of money to commit to one player, but Soto has the ability to power a team to a championship.

During the 2024 MLB season thus far with the New York Yankees, Soto has played in 109 games. He has hit 28 home runs to go along with 78 RBI and has been batting .310/.437/.598.

Clearly, those numbers are among the best hitters in baseball. At just 25 years old, he still has room to improve and grow his game even more.

A 10 or 12-year contract would be a perfect fit and would likely end with him still being extremely productive.

Back to the question at hand. Could Philadelphia be a potential player when it comes to Soto's free agency market?

To this point in time, the Phillies have not been viewed as a top landing spot for Soto. That could change heading into the offseason.

Soto knows quite a few players that are key pieces for Philadelphia. He has played with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner before.

Those connections could lead to him having interest in joining the Phillies.

As for the fit between the two sides, Philadelphia could use an upgrade in the outfield. Soto's position and ability would fit the Phillies' needs perfectly.

While it is widely expected that Soto will end up getting a new deal to remain with the Yankees, a team like Philadelphia would make sense. They should absolutely dip their toes into his market and see if they can make something happen.

Bringing him in to play alongside Harper and the rest of the stacked lineup would make them even more difficult to beat. It's highly unlikely that they will end up getting him if they do pursue him, but they should give it a shot.

The very worst that could happen is that Soto says no and they move on to other ways to improve the roster.