4 stars Phillies must add to keep Mets from creating an NL East dynasty

The New York Mets did the thing on Sunday night, signing Juan Soto to an MLB record 15-year, $765 million contract.

Naturally, there has been a lot of hand-wringing and false posturing about the scale of that contract from other fanbases, but every one of you would love to have Soto on your team for the same price. Steve Cohen deserves credit for putting his money where his mouth is and throwing caution to the wind in pursuit of glory. Soto is one of the best players of his generation. Now, when his statue is built in the Hall of Fame, a Mets hat will sit atop his head.

Soto's arrival sure does spice up the NL East picture. The Atlanta Braves are expected to leap back into contention next season with a healthy roster. The Washington Nationals are on the up and up. (We can ignore the Miami Marlins.) Then, of course, we have the Philadelphia Phillies, fresh off winning the division.

It's the Mets, however, who were in the NLDS a couple months ago. And now Soto joins the mix, hoping to launch the New York into the stratosphere alongside reigning MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor.

Suddenly, the NL East has the feel of the most talented (and most competitive) division in baseball. For the Phillies, this is an especially difficult blow. Dave Dombrowski already had plenty on his plate trying to improve this team. Now he needs to contend with the simple fact of Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr. both residing in the same division.

Here are a few moves Philadelphia can make to keep up.

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4. Tanner Scott would anchor the back end of the Phillies bullpen

The best free agent reliever of this cycle is Tanner Scott, who split last season between the Marlins and Padres. He finished with a 1.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 72.0 innings, racking up 84 strikeouts and 22 saves.

Philadelphia needs bullpen help with Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez hitting free agency. There's a world in which both re-sign and all is peachy, but even then, the Phillies bullpen hit a snag in the playoffs. Adding another dynamic late-relief arm next to Matt Strahm could prove essential. Nothing gives you a leg up in the playoffs quite like a lights-out relief crew.

Scott was a popular trade target in Phillies circles before the deadline, but Dombrowski went for Estevez instead. It's hard to knock Estevez's performance, but he did cough up that nail-in-coffin grand slam in Game 5 of the NLDS. Scott is a smidge better and a year younger, so he's worth a phone call and a determined pursuit.

3. Garrett Crochet is an obvious Taijuan Walker upgrade for Phillies

The Phillies have been mentioned time and time again in connection to Garrett Crochet. The 25-year-old Chicago White Sox ace is the most sought-after trade candidate in the marketplace right now, which means it will be a competitive bidding war. Momentum does not favor Philadelphia at the moment, but there's no better motivator for Dombrowski and the front office than Soto landing in Queens.

Let's not pretend like Soto can't mash left-handed pitching, but Crochet gives Philadelphia a proper southpaw ace behind right-handed Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Philadelphia would have five All-Stars in the starting rotation with Crochet in tow. We can nitpick the Phillies offense all we want — and it's deserved — but the easiest route to sustainable contention is an airtight pitching staff.

Crochet would ostensibly replace Taijuan Walker, who was a scheduled loss every fifth game during his starts last season. Philadelphia has arguably the most talented pitching unit in baseball, but even so, there are noticeable holes. Crochet plugs the biggest of them, and he comes without the burden of a sizable contract (for now).

This is a chance for the Phillies to start building the next generation of their rotation. Wheeler and Nola still have a few prime years left in the tank, ideally, but Crochet, Andrew Painter, and Cristopher Sanchez is a nice foundation for whatever comes next. Philadelphia has the wherewithal to re-sign Crochet when the time comes, so this can be viewed as a long-term investment.

2. Alex Bregman would bring winning DNA to the Phillies infield

There has been a lot of chatter about a potential Alec Bohm trade this winter. Frankly, there's no reason to trade Bohm unless there's an upgrade on the way. Top prospect Aidan Miller is still a year or two away from latching on with the big-league squad, and Philadelphia shouldn't be in the business of sacrificing immediate success to set up the future.

Alex Bregman could provide an adequate upgrade. The contract is going to get nutty after Willy Adames' $182 million deal in San Francisco, but so what? The Phillies have never shied away from spending on the best free agents, with the possible exception of Soto. We saw Dombrowski toss well over $300 million at Yoshinobu Yamamoto a year ago. That was a special circumstance, but so is Bregman's availability.

We are talking about a two-time World Series champ, after all, and a player Philadelphia has seen thrive on that October stage first-hand. Bregman is on the wrong side of 30, but he's sharp as ever defensively with a highly disciplined approach at the plate. He is a genuine five-tool star, offering offensive stability that would be quite beneficial to a Phillies lineup that runs hot or cold.

Of the remaining free agents, Bregman should probably be Philadelphia's top priority. Plugging him next to Trea Turner and Bryce Harper in the infield for the next five-plus years is a recipe for pronounced success.

1. Phillies should start compiling their Vladimir Guerrero Jr. trade package

The Toronto Blue Jays couldn't land Juan Soto. Next winter's marquee free agent is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who still hasn't inked an extension despite well-documented interest in prolonging his stay in Toronto. Few franchies reek of incompetence more than the Blue Jays. If this all falls apart by midseason, which feels distinctly possible, Guerrero's expiring contract could end up on the trade block.

What a golden opportunity this would be for Philadelphia. Guerrero plays first base, so Bryce Harper might have to relocate to right field, but the 25-year-old does have experience at third base. There's a world in which Guerrero is the Bohm replacement. Maybe Bohm can even go into the Blue Jays' return package.

It's hard to overstate how massive this would be for Philadelphia. Guerrero is on the short list of best hitters in baseball, coming off of a season in which he slashed .323/.396/.544 with 30 home runs and 103 RBI. Guerrero is also at the very beginning of his prime. The Phillies' window of contention is gradually closing with Harper and Turner, who have already peaked. Guerrero extends their competitive timeline a great deal, assuming Philadelphia ponies up with the necessary extension — whether it's $400 million or $800 million.

This is a pipe dream, to be clear, but Guerrero's arrival would profoundly change the Phillies' standing in the NL East. This could end up as Dombrowski's greatest achievement as Philadelphia's GM, which is obviously a high bar.