Philadelphia Phillies MUST Make a Splash After Sitting Out Soto Sweepstakes

Hopes were high for the Philadelphia Phillies entering this offseason, with many expecting the team to be big players in the Juan Soto sweepstakes. After the recent report from Matt Gelb crushed the hopes and dreams of that same many, the outlook on this winter is much cloudier than it originally seemed.

The Phillies have indicated that they are open to moving third baseman Alec Bohm and right fielder Nick Castellanos in trades, but talks have not gained much traction. Even if they do before Spring Training, it is highly unlikely that the club will receive any players who can be game-changers as early as 2025.

The free agency class is still stacked at the top, with two aces left on the market in Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, and two mashing outfielders in Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander. If Philadelphia hopes to contend in 2025 and beyond as they have the last three years, they must land one of these four players.

With the Phillies not having an offer to Juan Soto, and not even meeting with him, they HAVE to make a splash with Teoscar, Santander, Fried, or Burnes.

Otherwise, the window is closed and they’ll be a team that can make the dance every year, but never go all the way.
— Troy Brock (@TroyBBaseball) December 4, 2024

The Atlanta Braves' streak of winning the National League East came to an end in 2024 at the hands of the Phillies, but you can never count that club out. They dealt with more injuries this year than most teams face over the course of multiple seasons, as well as Matt Olson having one of the worst campaigns of his career. They should be back to normal in 2025.

The New York Mets were contenders in 2024, and are one of the teams still "in" on Soto this offseason. Should they land him, their offense gets an immediate boost to their production and they become a favorite to win the division, not just a Wild Card berth.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to mortgage the future and load up on superstars for immediate contention. With Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, and now Blake Snell, they are perennial World Series contenders for the foreseeable future.

Philadelphia does have the best starting rotation of the four teams, perhaps the best in the sport with their one through four starters. Adding Burnes or Fried is not as necessary as upgrading the offense, but it would go a long way toward not needing to upgrade the offense if your rotation is posting an ERA in the low 3.00s on the strength of four aces.

The club has stated multiple times that they want to upgrade their outfield, though it remains to be seen if that is actually the case. Trading Castellanos and adding Teoscar Hernandez or Santander would go a long way toward making the already potent offense that much better, while also improving the defense at the same time.

Castellanos posted -8 Outs Above Average in right field in 2024, while Hernandez posted -1 at the position and Santander -2. While none of them are "good," either Hernandez or Santander would be an improvement while leaving Brandon Marsh in left field and Johan Rojas in center field, who are both elite defenders at those positions.

Offensively, Castellanos produced a 742 OPS with a 106 OPS+ in 2024. Santander produced an .814 OPS with a 134 OPS+, and Hernandez posted an .840 OPS with a 137 OPS+. Both guys produced better numbers while playing the majority of their games at parks that are less hitter-friendly than Citizens Bank Park.

It is a crossroad that the organization finds itself at this winter, and their decision could prove beneficial or detrimental to the future. But the Phillies must make a splash in free agency this offseason if they intend to be contenders for years to come.