NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Phillies won the NL East and put themselves in position for another World Series appearance. However, things didn’t go as planned, and now it’s time to start thinking about the offseason and what’s to come.
The Phillies front office should only have one thing on its mind: going all in. What does that mean? Well, to be frank, that means doing whatever it takes to bring Juan Soto to the City of Brotherly Love. While many believe that the New York Yankees have a clear path to retaining the player they took a one-year flyer on, the Phillies may be in a better position to grab Soto.
The reason being, Trae Turner, Kyle Schawarber, and Bryce Harper. Maybe Soto wants to win one with the guys he started his first few seasons in the league with while with the Washington Nationals. Imagine how good that team would have been if they kept their core. Well, fans of the Phillies, can see what a core of mature players could do.
Soto became the hottest bat on the market the moment the last out was recorded in the World Series. For the Phillies, it’s time to clear money off the books (Taijuan Walker) and offer a blank check for Soto.
While some will scoff at the asking price, think about what the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shanti Ohtani did this season. Maybe all it takes is a single player to change the course of an organization. The numbers are there. Soto ended his regular season batting close to .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of .569 And that’s batting 2nd in the lineup before Aaron Judge.
Imagine what Soto could do with Schwarber, Turner, or Harper before or after him. What pitcher wants to see that in a seven-game series? This lineup will be one of the best in MLB history.
Can it work? Hell yes. MLB is a melting pot for high-payroll teams. While most won’t win a championship, this team has everything needed to buck that trend. As great as the offense will be, the Phillies still have one of the best pitching rotations and bullpens in the league.
Having Soto in this lineup will put pressure not only on opposing pictures but opposing offenses as well. You have to score runs against that staff and it could be extremely hard. Schwarber leading off followed by Turner then Soto and then Harper, oh my. Then you add in players such as Nick Castellanos, JT Realmuto, Bryson Stott, and Alec Bohm, yeah, that has World Series written all over it.
The price tag will be high as Soto will fetch close to $600M-$700M people are saying. The Yankees will drive up the price as he’s been a hell of a compliment to Judge. But they won’t be the only team. According to rumors, the New York Mets and their deep pockets will make a run for Soto as well as the Los Angeles Dodgers. And after Soto went on record following their World Series defeat that he’s open to all teams, the foundation is set for one hell of a bidding war this offseason.
While the Mets went on a great run this postseason and the Dodgers just won a championship, neither team has the pitching to hold down the other end. The same goes for the Yankees. Judge is a monster but after him, it’s a toss-up as to who can help. The Phillies have it all. This is not like basketball where one ball is spread around. Baseball is a one-on-one showdown.
Dave Dombrowski must pull Turner and Harper into his office and have them make a call to their former teammate and see how serious he is about getting his worth and winning. Whatever Soto tells them, the Philadelphia Phillies should not hesitate to offer. This could be the next dynasty in MLB.
