MLB reporter reveals one team that could 'pry away' Juan Soto from Yankees

It's remarkable how bad the vibes are around the New York Yankees considering the team is one game behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East and the second-best record in the American League. Sure, there have been bumps in the road — quite a few lately — but the Yanks are in a great spot.

If only New York fans could embrace that perspective. It's frightfully easy to poke holes in the roster. Aaron Judge and Juan Soto did a lot of the offensive heavy-lifting in the weeks leading up to the All-Star break. Rookie Ben Rice is on breakout watch, but the rest of New York's alleged core pieces, such as Alex Verdugo and Gleyber Torres, are on the struggle bus. Giancarlo Stanton is hurt. It's a mess.

The Yanks have solid pitching, but the bullpen needs a major facelift and it's fair to wonder how reliable Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes are when projecting toward the postseason. New York was connected to the best available pitcher at the deadline, but that was swiftly followed up with "[they're] not that into him." So in reality, the Yankees probably aren't going to land the All-Star ace fans desire.

There's a better chance for New York to swing a major trade on the offensive front, with Miami Marlins superutilityman Jazz Chisholm Jr. floated as a popular target. Luis Robert could be fun. But, no matter what the Yankees accomplish at the deadline, the upcoming free agency period looms on the horizon like malevolent storm. The front office needs to batten down the hatches.

Hal Steinbrenner has conveyed to fans that the current New York payroll is somehow unsustainable. That is bad news when Juan Soto is about to hit free agency. A four-time All-Star at 25, Soto could command north of $500 million on his next contract. If the Yankees aren't on point with their offer, another team could swoop in.

The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers are popular threats in the realm of theory, but ESPN's Jorge Castillo has another contender in mind.

Phillies named as potential underdog in upcoming Juan Soto free agency sweepstakes

The Philadelphia Phillies already have an ungodly amount of money committed to their talented core, but GM Dave Dombrowski is notoriously aggressive and Philadelphia has never shied away from bold investments. The Phils reportedly offered well north of $300 million to Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason. As Castillo elucidates, a run at Soto is a highly logical outcome (subscription required).

"The Philadelphia Phillies aren't an obvious destination for Soto. Owner John Middleton has already invested heavily into a star-studded roster expected to make another deep October run. But Middleton badly wants to win and general manager Dave Dombrowski isn't afraid to commit big money to stars. Remember: Philadelphia, somewhat surprisingly, made a substantial bid for Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter. Add that the Phillies have significant money coming off the books, that Trea Turner and Soto are close friends, and that Scott Boras has a notable history with Middleton — Boras negotiated the contracts fo rBryce Harper and Nick Castellanos — and the Phillies could be one of the teams attempting to pry Soto away from the Bronx this winter."

Soto's four-year tenure with the Washington Nationals to start his career overlapped with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber at various points. He is practically integrated into the Phillies locker room already. The power of friendship is unironically what brought this Philadelphia team together. Trea Turner doesn't come to Philly without Harper. Schwarbs probably says the same thing. The Nats-to-Phils pipeline is well established.

I mean... come on.

It feels something like destiny. Assuming Philadelphia comes on strong with a suitable financial package, why wouldn't Soto be inclined to join the current No. 1 seed in the National League? The Mets spend a lot of money sometimes, but when was the last time we seriously thought about the Mets and the World Series at the same time? As for the Dodgers, well, fine, the Dodgers are loaded. But it's more fun to form a superteam with your pals. Turner left LA for the blue-collar streets of Philly. Soto can make the same decision.

It all comes down to money, of course. Scott Boras has a strong working relationship with the Phils front office, but he's not in the business of negotiating discounts. Unlike his star clients last offseason, Soto is going to have a robust and aggressive market. There won't be any challenge to secure 10-12 years of guaranteed money. It will come down to a proper bidding war, and as we know, the Phils can win a bidding war.

Philadelphia offers the best of every world — a great fanbase, a clear path to championship contention, lots of money, and the comfort of close friends. It's all speculative at this stage, but man, it's starting to feel like Juan Soto is a Philadelphia Phillie.