As the Philadelphia Phillies' magic number to clinch the NL East ticks down to single digits, the main focus for Phillies fans over the next couple of weeks will be on sizing up potential postseason matchups and dissecting playoff rosters ahead of the team's third consecutive Red October. While the impending offseason might seem like an afterthought, it won't be long before the Phillies front office turns its attention to the 2025 season and beyond.
This offseason will see the Phillies exchange arbitration numbers for the first time with young players like Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh, while Alec Bohm will be due for another raise following a season that saw him named to the NL All-Star team. With prospects like Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford rapidly climbing up the organizational ladder, it will be interesting to see what direction the Phillies decide to go in as far as contract extensions are concerned with all three young players, especially Bohm.
And speaking of contract extensions, the Phillies are getting close to having to make a decision on the long term future of All-Star pitcher Ranger Suárez, who's arbitration eligible for the final time and a free agent following the 2025 season. Could the Phillies sign Suárez to an extension this offseason and have all four of their top starters locked up for the foreseeable future? That's certainly going to be a hot topic of discussion regardless if Suárez finishes the season strong.
MLB insider doubts Phillies will ‘go there’ for Juan Soto
While the Phillies have some internal housekeeping ahead of them this offseason, the front office will also have its sights set on the upcoming free agent class. The Phillies were relatively quiet last offseason, opting to resign Aaron Nola to a long term deal and extending manager Rob Thomson for another couple of seasons, in addition to signing starting pitcher Zack Wheeler to an extension in spring training. Whit Merrifield represented the only big splash the Phillies made in free agency last offseason, and it would be shocking to see them remain quiet this offseason.
The biggest free agent prize of the next free agency period is easily New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto. Soto, who's having a monster 2024 season with a batting average of .287, 40 home runs and 103 RBI, will enter free agency at the age of 26, promising any team with the necessary resources to sign him a tantalizing chance to add a superstar caliber talent ahead of his prime.
Will the Phillies be one of those teams? According to insider Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Phillies fans shouldn't hold their breath waiting for the team to sign Soto this offseason.
"The Phillies already have some huge contracts with Harper, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola," Feinsand said." I know Dave Dombrowski loves stars, but I don’t see ownership going there when their team is already stacked. Soto and Harper together? Imagine the damage they could do."
Before we get into Soto playing hard-to-get this offseason, one look at the Phillies roster supports Feinsand's opinion that the Phillies won't be in play for Soto's services this winter. The Phillies have four outfielders on the roster next season: Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, Austin Hays and Johan Rojas. If the front office wants to entertain the idea of adding Soto as a free agent, it will certainly come with having to swing deals involving these four players to create room on the roster. It's not impossible, but it would involve a lot of work.
And Soto seems ready for the giant payday that awaits him this winter. The Nationals failed to extend him in 2022, and he was traded to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline.
The Padres tried to extend Soto as well, but the young superstar said no, opting to go to arbitration instead. When the Padres found themselves in a tough spot financially, the team offloaded Soto to the New York Yankees, and despite fitting in well in the Bronx, Soto once again restated his desire to hit free agency. This is a young man dead set on getting paid.
While anything is possible in free agency, the Phillies don't look like a fit for Soto right now. Could that change? Sure, but it will add a whole lot to Dave Dombrowski's upcoming to-do list.
With a roster already full of highly paid superstar position players all under contract, the question shifts to whether this would be worth the effort involved. With Soto's free agency likely to drag well into early 2025, the Phillies would be forced to create a gaping roster hole while the baseball world awaits Soto's decision.