Philly Leader

Maybe things are starting to move in the baseball offseason. Blake Snell, Yusei Kikuchi, Jonathan India, Brady Singer, and others have recently signed new contracts or been traded. Juan Soto is reportedly fielding offers exceeding $600 million, but sources indicate that the Phillies are not among those teams.

There is speculation that Soto could choose a team before the end of next week's Winter Meetings in Dallas. Sources told MLB.com that the Phillies have not met with Soto. Despite some expectations for a meeting, nothing seems imminent.

The Phillies have never been seen as likely candidates to sign Soto. Dave Dombrowski, President of Baseball Operations, has stated since the postseason ended that he doesn't believe another superstar is necessary for a World Series win. John Middleton, managing partner of the Phillies, commented last month: “I’m afraid Juan Soto wants to be in New York, and I don’t mind being a stalking horse … but I get the feeling, we’ll probably say, you know what, we’ll probably not win this.”

Dombrowski reiterated this week that his offseason priorities remain unchanged:

FanGraphs projects the Phillies' 2025 payroll at $282 million for luxury tax purposes—second-highest in baseball—surpassing the third luxury tax threshold of $281 million. The fourth threshold stands at $301 million.

“We have the freedom to do some things that we need to do,” Dombrowski said about payroll flexibility. “But I’m not sure what’s going to happen at this point... But you just never know about these things."

The Phillies are receiving interest regarding their big leaguers and top prospects. Alec Bohm's name frequently appears in trade rumors due to his All-Star status and two years of team control rather than an intent by the Phillies to trade him.

Dombrowski did not comment on specifics but said: “We are looking to acquire Major League talent... That’s our focus.”

The team seeks someone who can play left or center field while Brandon Marsh remains flexible for either position. They also aim to acquire one right-handed late-inning reliever despite last season's performances by Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman.

“The way I look at it is we have a very good team,” Dombrowski said. He highlighted their strong performance last year and expressed confidence in their roster's balance and potential success next season.

“Now, we’re open-minded to things... But yeah, you’re always open-minded... But we have a good club... If we take the same club back that we had last year and make a tweak here and there... we'll compete to win the division and be definite postseason contenders.”