The offseason has barely started with the World Series just ending last Wednesday. Teams and media alike are eager to jump on the winter months and see what the hot stove of the offseason has cooking.
Trades are already flying while the free agency window officially is set to begin at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 4. Teams will have to stay patient with an always stretched-out winter. The process sometimes takes some grace, like the Philadelphia Phillies did when they didn't ink the face of their franchise, Bryce Harper, until March 1 in 2019.
One player who will certainly exercise his freedom of choice this winter will be superstar Juan Soto.
Phillies willing to break top tax threshold can only mean one thing for Juan Soto
As of Friday, the initial idea of staying put doesn't seem so great anymore. Managing partner John Middleton stated the possibility of increasing payroll in 2025 (subscription required), per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Given where we are in contract cycles and minor league people coming up, I expect the player payroll to be higher rather than lower,” Middleton said, per Lauber. “I’d be surprised if it’s the same, and I’d be stunned, very stunned, if it’s lower. I don’t see it being lower.”
Middleton went even as far as to say he is willing to bump payroll into the third tax threshold ($281 million) if the opportunity is there.
“For the right player, I have a high degree of confidence that Dave and I would go over the third limit," Middleton said, per Lauber.
For specifics, with the Phillies exceeding the luxury tax three years in a row, they will get hit with a 50 percent tax rate. There will also be a 92.5 percent surcharge on every dollar over the $281 million, and will lose 10 spots in their 2026 first-round draft pick.
The tone changes when there is a player worth taking on this kind of payroll, the way the Phillies and Middleton are debating. Soto is the ultimate difference-maker and, unfortunately for the Phillies, is a true fit in any of the 30 MLB organizations. The Yankees are at least one team that will do everything in their power to retain their star who had the best year of his young career in the Bronx.
Soto's agent Scott Boras is no stranger to this dance and knows the Phillies are willing to put in the effort. If a bigger payroll and waiting for the right player is what you're banking on, Soto is a perfect place to start.
It's understandable that there's hesitancy to shell out that kind of money to one player who is, as of now, projected to make roughly $514 million over 14 years, per Spotrac. The tax implications alone for the Phillies will be substantial. One thing that is worth doing, however, is giving it your all to win a championship. The Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani last winter to a massive deal. A parade followed just one season later.