Getty Image
Juan Soto is one of the best players in baseball today.
That’s despite a difficult 2022 season and a slow first half to the 2023 season, one which he was still selected to the MLB All-Star Game.
Juan Soto is also just 24 years old and set to enter free agency in 2025. He’s a three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger award winner, Home Run Derby champion and 2019 World Series winner.
Shohei Ohtani aside, it’s widely believed that Soto is set to become one of the highest played players in MLB history.
But where will he play?
The Washington Nationals traded Soto to the San Diego Padres because they couldn’t agree to a long-term deal. Now San Diego is struggling to come to an agreement with their young superstar.
So, where does he want to sign.
Well, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Soto could well head back to the east cost to continue his career.
“Could the Phillies ultimately be a fit for Juan Soto? It’s very early — he’s a year-and-a-half from free agency — but baseball people are envisioning Philadelphia as a spot that makes sense,” Heyman wrote.
He then listed reasons why the move makes sense.
“Soto has close ties from Nationals days with hitting coach Kevin Long. And with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber also there, the Phillies already have a distinct Nats flavor.”
Philadelphia currently has the league’s fourth-highest payroll, just behind San Diego.
But ace Zack Wheeler ($23.6M) becomes a free agent following the 2024 season, while big name stars J.T. Realmuto ($23.1M) and Kyle Schwarber ($19.75M) come off the books following the years and Nick Castellanos ($20M) the next year.
So it’s not hard to see how Soto could fit into the equation down the line. And as owner John Middleton has both said and shown, he’s not afraid to spend to win.