What Juan Soto's historic contract with Mets means for Phillies
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 29: Juan Soto #22 of the New York Yankees celebrates his RBI double as Trea Turner #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on in the top of the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park on July 29, 2024 in Philadelphia, Penns
PHILADELPHIA - Juan Soto reportedly inked the richest contract in baseball history Sunday night, joining the New York Mets on a 15-year, $765M contract and becoming the Phillies' next biggest problem to overcome as they defend the NL East title.
Soto, 26, reportedly ditched the crosstown New York Yankees, where he reached the World Series in his first and only season playing alongside superstar Aaron Judge. New York Post's baseball insider Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees' final offer to Soto fell $5M short of the historic figure he agreed to with the Mets.
With Soto off the board, baseball's offseason is expected to pick up just as front office executives convene this week in Dallas for the annual Winter Meetings. Phillies President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, will suddenly have to consider ways to lessen the blow of a generational talent re-joining the division.
The Phillies are no strangers to Soto, who spent the first four seasons of his major league career with the Washington Nationals. Soto has played 77 games against the Phillies and – to no one's surprise – enjoyed a lot of success, batting nearly .300 in over 270 career at bats with an on-base percentage of .425.
Soto has hit 19 home runs against the Phillies, many as a member of the Nationals, which is tied for the most homers he's hit against a single ball club. More than a dozen of those home runs were hit at Citizens Bank Park in 38 games.
Against Phillies ace and 2024 NL Cy Young candidate Zack Wheeler, Soto has a career .849 OPS, and against Aaron Nola he has an on-base percentage approaching .500.
Nothing about Soto's numbers against the Phillies are a surprise: He's one of the best hitters the game has ever seen. The Phillies were rumored to have had interest in Soto, but reports say the team never met with the slugger and instead have set their focus on finding complementary pieces to a core they believe in.
Still, some radical changes could catch casual fans off guard this winter. The Phillies have reportedly shopped third baseman and fan favorite Alec Bohm, whose scalding hot start to the 2024 season was cooled off by a dismal second half. Nick Castellanos's name has also popped up in trade rumors. Philadelphia's shopping list includes rotation upgrades and an outfielder with some pop.
Meanwhile, the Mets still have work to do rounding out their roster – even after adding Soto to the mix. First baseman Pete Alonso is a free agent and New York could use upgrades in both the rotation and bullpen.
The Phillies clinched the NL East division for the first time in over a decade last season, but the Mets got the last laugh by beating their division rivals in 4 games in the National League Divisional Series. With Soto joining the Mets and Braves star Ronald Acuna returning from injury, defending the NL East title will be difficult for the Phillies.