Phillies managing partner John Middleton, during a speaking engagement at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, was asked about Juan Soto.
The Phillies have been connected to the 26-year-old star free agent, but Middleton does not sound enthusiastic about his team’s chances of landing him.
According to Sean McKeown of the Daily Pennsylvanian, Middleton believes Soto prefers to stay in the Big Apple.
“I’m afraid Juan Soto wants to be in New York, and I don’t mind being a stalking horse … but I get the feeling, we’ll probably say, you know what, we’ll probably not win this.”
Middleton, who was the keynote speaker at the Wharton Sports Business Summit on Friday, gave rather candid quotes to the audience of Ivy League business students. The Phillies owner also discussed losses during the COVID-19 season and the restructuring of the front office among other topics.
But his comments regarding Soto are significant. Most team officials choose not to publicly comment on free agents during the offseason.
One of the best hitters of his generation, Soto is already on a Hall of Fame track thanks to his unique combination of power and patience. The Phillies have a need in the outfield and Soto would fit in perfectly on a team filled with his former teammates on the Washington Nationals. Phillies stars Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner have all played with Soto. Hitting coach Kevin Long is credited with playing a vital part in Soto’s development into a superstar hitter.
The odds are against the Phillies. The Yankees, who traded for Soto last offseason, are desperate to retain him. The Mets, after upsetting the Phillies in the NLDS, have hundreds of millions of dollars coming off the books and are primed to take advantage of owner Steve Cohen’s deep pockets. The Blue Jays, Dodgers and Red Sox are among teams that could also be in on the bidding.
At the GM meetings in San Antonio, Dave Dombrowski, while alluding to Soto, echoed a similar sentiment about pursuing star players.
“Put it this way: Our ownership allows us to do a lot of things, but sometimes that’s not what you need,” Dombrowski told reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We have a lot of good star players on our team. You can read that as you wish.”
When it comes to players of Soto’s magnitude, his agent Scott Boras deals with owners. Middleton is the one who will ultimately decide how far the Phillies are willing to go for a player like Soto. It might not matter, however, if Soto strongly prefers to play in New York.
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