John Middleton He recently said he believed Juan Soto He wants to play in New York.

Whether that stops Philadelphia Phillies‘ The quest to sign him continues, but judging by his comments, he’s not ready to give up.

But Middleton and the people in the Phillies’ front office understand that they could be used to raise his price to either New York team. Scott Boras is the best manager in the world For some reason, he will try all possible ways to make sure his client gets top dollar.

It’s not every year that baseball fans see a player of Soto’s caliber hit the open market.

That’s now three offseasons where arguably the best player in baseball is available after Aaron Judge becomes a free agent in 2022. Shohei Ohtani last winter and now Soto.

This is rare.

Soto’s contract is the most intriguing of them all.

Ohtani hit the market last season, but it’s important to remember that this idea is for the future for him. $700 million for an elite offensive player and a guy who can step on the mound and be an ace is something the game hasn’t seen before.

As good as Soto is offensively, it’s hard to compare the two.

Despite this fact, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel He wrote that Boras and Soto’s goal this winter will be to break Ohtani’s record-setting deal, even if it means AAV.

“Some years it’s unclear who might get the biggest contract, like Bryce Harper or Manny Machado in 2018-19, or Carlos Correa or Corey Seager in 2021-22? But like Ohtani last season, Soto won.” There is no competition for that honor, and the goal for him and his agent Scott Boras will be to top Ohtani’s record-breaking deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers; “At MLB’s current value, it’s $460.8 million (most of the $700 million since the deal was delayed).”

It seems unlikely at this point that Soto will receive $700 million, but given that much of Ohtani’s deal has been delayed, Soto’s current value could be undercut.

Philadelphia did not specify at what price point it would stop bidding.

Ownership was willing to spend, but it’s unclear if they would give him a $650 million deal.

The Phillies could be the team Boras uses to raise Soto’s price, but don’t count them out just yet.

Players love playing in Philadelphia, and they may be far from winning a World Series of his caliber, which could interest him.