MLB Rumors: Phillies court Juan Soto with tampering-adjacent gesture

Juan Soto trade rumors are starting to swirl, and the Phillies flirted with some tampering rules with a potential look to court him.

As the San Diego Padres entered the All-Star break four games under .500 and in fourth place in the NL West, what the club full of stars is going to do at the MLB Trade Deadline has been a hot topic of discussion, particularly when it comes to last year’s major trade acquisition, Juan Soto.

Several MLB insiders have surmised that the Padres, in order to better set themselves up for the future, would be wise to trade Soto at the deadline with 1.5 years remaining before he hits free agency in order to free up some money and, more importantly, get a haul of prospects and players back to shore up the depth around their other stars.

While that might be true, reports have also indicated that the Padres don’t plan to sell and, instead, could be aggressive to buy at the deadline, which would obviously mean not moving Soto.

But just in case a Soto trade is, in fact, on the table, the Philadelphia Phillies are trying to get a leg up. After the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, the Phillies reportedly offered Soto a flight to Philadelphia as the Padres come out of the break with a series in the City of Brotherly Love.

Not only did they offer, though, but Soto took them up on that as Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation reported that the All-Star outfielder rode to Philadelphia with players and staff members of the organization.

MLB Rumors: Phillies fly with Juan Soto to Philadelphia after All-Star Game

That may not be tampering, but it’s awfully close. If it results in a Nationals reunion of Bryce Harper, Soto and Trea Turner, though, then it’s hard to believe that the Phillies would care about that as they look to return to the World Series.

In truth, the Phillies talking directly to Soto doesn’t have any real sway regarding the trade situation with the superstar outfielder. He isn’t the one pulling the strings in San Diego, so what he wants ultimately might not be taken into consideration. So in regards to the trade buzz, this might be a nothing burger.

At the same time, though, Soto will be a free agent in 2025 and will be a highly coveted commodity. Perhaps the Phillies are laying some early groundwork — or just reminding him of his friends and former teammates who are on the club — for a pursuit on the open market when (or if) that time comes.

Whatever the case, we can definitely take this as a not-so-subtle hint that the Phillies are definitely intrigued by the prospect of Juan Soto coming to Philadelphia — so much so that they’ll fly him there themselves.