This isn’t the news the New York Mets want to hear.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Philadelphia Phillies plan to meet with the generational superstar Juan Soto.
The Phillies haven’t met with Juan Soto yet but they plan to. Not many teams want to win more than them.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 19, 2024
The Phillies are looking to upgrade their outfield, and what better way than to sign Soto — an American League MVP finalist.
Soto had one of the best seasons of his career, helping lead the New York Yankees to a World Series appearance. He hit 41 home runs, knocked in 128 runs, scored 109 times, posted a .989 OPS, and recorded a 7.9 WAR.
Unlike many Phillies hitters, Soto doesn’t incessantly chase pitches out of the strike zone.
It’s not surprising owner John Middleton is pursuing Soto after the Phillies were upset in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. In their four-game NLDS loss to the New York Mets, the Phillies scored only 12 runs — seven in one game — while batting .186 with a .597 OPS.
Soto has been a menace at Citizens Bank Park. Since his 2018 rookie season with the Washington Nationals, he has hit 13 home runs with 39 RBI and 30 runs scored.
If the Phillies sign Soto, they would likely move Brandon Marsh back to center field to platoon with Johan Rojas.
Philadelphia Phillies owner says he would be ‘stalking horse’ in Juan Soto sweepstakes
Despite entering the Soto sweepstakes, Middleton believes it would be a long shot to convince the multiple-time All-Star to come to Philadelphia.
“I’m afraid Juan Soto wants to be in New York, and I don’t mind being a stalking horse. At some point, if [Phillies president] Dave [Dombrowski] and I get that feeling, we’ll probably say, ‘You know what, we’re not going to win this’ because we’ve both been the stalking horse before,” Middleton previously told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “And if I were an agent, I would do it too. It’s perfectly good strategy. I mean, it’s smart. But at the end of the day, I just think he likes New York.”
Soto will likely command a long-term contract worth $600 million or more. It’s possible he could approach Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million deal.