Could the Philadelphia Phillies be a good fit for Juan Soto?

Could the Philadelphia Phillies be a good fit for Juan Soto?

Juan Soto won’t be a free agent until after the 2024 season. Just because it’s a while away, it’s never too early to speculate where the young superstar could end up. The rumor mill suggests the Philadelphia Phillies could be a good fit for him.

A potential move back to the east coast certainly makes sense, as he has plenty of internal ties with the Phillies. As a former Washington National himself, Soto would play alongside Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long was also the hitting coach for the Nationals in Soto’s time there.

“Unlike some others, the Phillies are batting high on big-time free agents (Harper and Zack Wheeler are big successes, Nick Castellanos and Schwarber are mostly successes, and it’s early in Turner’s tenure). Plus, baseball president Dave Dombrowski has been a collector of stars,” Jon Heyman wrote in the New York Post.

Via the New York Post

The Phillies free agent tour has been much better than the Padres. All the players listed above have been successful for Philadelphia, meanwhile, San Diego is struggling to stay away from last place in their division. The success mixed with the familiarity will certainly make Philly a favorite to sign the star outfielder.

While it hasn’t been a spectacular season for the outfielder, he did make his third straight All-Star appearance. At the break, he’s batting .265/.419/.479 with 15 home runs and 47 RBIs in 90 games. Soto also leads the majors in walks with 83 in 309 at-bats.

Whether it’s the Phillies or another team, the price for Soto won’t be cheap. The 24-year-old was offered a 15-year, $440 million deal from the Nationals before being shipped off to the Padres. While baseball legends such as David Ortiz believe the outfielder should’ve accepted the deal, Soto is willing to gamble on himself to get a record-setting contract.

San Diego Padres expected to be in Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes

There’s no doubt Soto will get the bag. There’s also no doubt he hasn’t been the same since joining the Padres, so it’s more than likely we see him in a new uniform for the 2025 season.

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