MLB Rumors: Blake Snell-Yankees hint, Votto Reds return, Phillies backup plan
- Blake Snell dropped a hint he could be headed to the Yankees.
- Joey Votto could return to the Cincinnati Reds under one condition.
- The Phillies can use money from their Yamamoto offer on Juan Soto.
By Curt Bishop
MLB Rumors: Phillies can use money from their Yamamoto offer on Juan Soto.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been relatively quiet this offseason since retaining Aaron Nola on a seven-year, $172 million contract. Their only other major move was the signing of Whit Merrifield.
The team was also in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto this winter, but he ultimately took less money to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, that may potentially open the door for a marquee addition next offseason.
Juan Soto will hit the market at the end of the 2024 season, barring a contract extension with the New York Yankees. And because the Phillies planned to go big on Yamamoto but missed out, there will be plenty of money available to give Soto the deal he desires.
Even Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has expressed doubt about potentially re-signing Soto and predicted that the slugger is likely to hit free agency.
“We recognized when we went into this situation that the odds are that it’s a one-year situation before free agency,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman explained to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. “Certainly, that can change, I guess, but the odds are certainly against that. He’s [Soto] this close to free agency. I don’t see too many things stopping him from hitting free agency."
But perhaps the Phillies could still put the money they intended to spend on Yamamoto to good use if they are able to make a play for Soto.
Philadelphia already has Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Nick Castellanos in their lineup. The potential addition of Soto next offseason might just put them over the top for 2025.
Soto would be returning to the NL East and reuniting with his former Washington Nationals teammates in Harper and Turner.
The Phillies came close to making a return trip to the World Series last year, falling in seven games in the NLCS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They look prepared to make another deep October run this year and appear to have a bright future ahead of them.
That will especially be true if they can find a way to add Soto to their mix for 2025 and beyond, thus staying on par with the Atlanta Braves.