Juan Soto, OF
Finally, we have the most coveted free agent this offseason: Juan Soto. There’s no doubt whoever ends up with the 26-year-old phenom will essentially alter the landscape for that franchise for years to come.
After all, Soto has proven to be one of the best in the league. He has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting in five of the seven seasons that he has been in MLB, including finishing third just this past year to his teammate Aaron Judge. Also already a four-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger at such a young age, his ceiling seems limitless from here on out.
After landing with New York via a trade with the San Diego Padres last offseason, Soto put together another offensive masterpiece with the Yankees in 2024. He batted a stellar .288 with a .989 OPS, along with a league-leading 128 runs scored, 31 doubles, 41 home runs and 109 RBI in 157 games played. Soto has also proven to be quite durable, appearing in at least 150 games each season since 2019, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 year.
More importantly, he has shown time and time again that he can be an unstoppable force during the postseason. During the Yankees’ recent run to the World Series, Soto hit .327 with a 1.102 OPS, with 12 runs scored, four home runs, nine RBI, 14 walks and nine strikeouts in 14 playoff games. Overall, he has posted an impressive stats line of .281/.389/.538/.927 with 31 runs scored, 11 home runs and 30 RBI in 43 career postseason games, showing that he can perform at his absolute best even on the biggest stage.
As a result, Soto is exactly what the Phillies need to get them to the next level. However, as the top free agent in the market, his many suitors will drive up his price tag to astronomical levels. In fact, many are predicting he could reach or even surpass Shohei Ohtani’s record-breaking contract from last year.
If that is the case, the Phillies should be cautious that they don’t get into a bidding war with others, as it could leave them with nothing left to make upgrades in other areas of need, such as their bullpen, rotation, and potentially at third base as well. Perhaps that may already be on their minds, based on the slow development on the Soto front for Philadelphia.