Report: Phillies planning to meet with Soto
The Philadelphia Phillies are planning to meet with star free agent Juan Soto, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Whichever team signs Soto will now have to surrender draft pick compensation after he, as expected, declined the New York Yankees' qualifying offer on Tuesday, per Heyman.
Adding Soto would be a game-changing move for a Phillies squad looking to shake things up after another early playoff exit.
Philadelphia is coming off a 95-win regular season in which it sent a franchise-record eight players to the All-Star Game. Jeff Hoffman, one member of that group, is a free agent, while another, third baseman Alec Bohm, is reportedly available in trade talks.
The Phillies already have nearly $223 million committed to payroll allocations for 2025, the most in MLB, per Spotrac.
Owner John Middleton said earlier this offseason that he expects the team's payroll next year to "be higher" than it was in 2024. He also expressed a willingness to exceed the highest luxury tax threshold.
Soto's positional fit in Philadelphia isn't clear-cut. Current right fielder Nick Castellanos would likely have to move unless Soto is comfortable switching back to left field, which he played in 2023 with the San Diego Padres.
Soto's new deal is widely expected to exceed $600 million.