Philadelphia Phillies We’re no strangers to spending big trying to acquire superstars in free agency.

Before the 2019 season, the Phillies signed superstar outfielder Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract, and before the 2023 season, they signed superstar shortstop Trea Turner, a former teammate of Harper’s, to an 11-year, $300 million contract. . agreement.

There’s a goal at the top of almost everyone’s list this summer; And that’s Harper’s and Turner’s former teammate, superstar outfielder Juan Soto.

Speculation about where the outfielder would sign has surrounded the baseball world throughout the 2024 season, and the postseason was no different. New York Yankees They’re well on their way to the World Series and show no signs of slowing down until the ink dries on the team Soto signed with.

While the $630 million Philadelphia locked up with Harper’s and Turner’s names isn’t a huge change, that total is split between the two players.

In a recently published article AthleticTim Britton has gone to great lengths to predict the potential salaries of top free agents this winter, and Britton said Soto is projecting $611 million over 13 years, just $19 million less than Harper and Turner combined.

It may sound like an astronomical figure, and it certainly is, but players like Juan Soto don’t come around very often, especially players who enter free agency at age 25.

Soto has proven time and time again that he is the best hitter in the sport, and he has yet to reach the top.

He knows the strike zone better than anyone currently in baseball and can perhaps hit for power with the best of them, hitting a career-high 41 home runs in 2023 and owning a career batting average of .285 in 4,088 strikeouts. He played in 936 matches.

He could easily slot in at the top of any lineup, allowing the Phillies to move Kyle Schwarber to the cleanup spot, move Harper to second on the roster, and move Turner to the fifth or sixth spot to separate their lineups much better.

Whoever signs Soto will have to be willing to open up the budget, and Philadelphia has shown us before that they’re not afraid to do that.