Never say never when it comes to free agents, but the Philadelphia Phillies don’t appear to be in the mix for Juan Soto.
Despite many insiders naming them a suitor over the last few months, them eventually falling out of the race was somewhat expected.
Scott Boras has been doing this for a very long time, and he knows how to get his guys paid.
The reality is that the Phillies were likely used as leverage for both New York teams to up their price which is the name of the game for agents.
Philadelphia has a lot to consider in terms of free agency, with their roster featuring flaws. The expectation of them is to build a World Series contender for 2025, so moves will have to be made.
The Phillies need outfield help and, most importantly, a player who doesn’t have swing-and-miss issues. In today’s era, finding hitters who don’t strike out at a somewhat high rate is almost impossible, and outside of Soto, those types of players are rarely available..
If Philadelphia does whatever it can to be the best possible team, perhaps the front office will get creative. If the Phillies understand their lineup needs to improve, there are things they could do to accomplish that.
Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer made an interesting suggestion, urging Philadelphia to move Bryce Harper back to the outfield.
“Harper’s bat — .898 OPS last season, .911 for his career — plays at all positions. But given the landscape of outfield offense and the class of free-agent first basemen (Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, even Paul Goldschmidt on a potential one-year deal) and possible trade candidates (Tampa Bay’s Yandy Díaz, Cleveland’s Josh Naylor, Boston’s Triston Casas, and Texas’ Nathaniel Lowe), a case can be made that Harper is even more valuable in the outfield, at least in 2025.”
Lauber poses an intriguing scenario, and on paper, it might make sense.
However, it’s important to note that Harper’s long-term health is much more important than hoping Christian Walker or any other first baseman would fix their lineup issues.
Harper had Tommy John surgery that caused him to move positions in the first place, but it’s been well over a year since he underwent the procedure.
It’s uncertain how his arm feels, but if it’s pain-free and back to what it used to be, maybe the Phillies think about making this change.
The biggest priority for Philadelphia should be to keep their superstar healthy.
If they lose Harper at any point due to another arm problem, it’s tough to see the Phillies winning a World Series.
Factor that in with his lofty contract, and protecting him seems to be the better plan than putting him back into the outfield for a short-term fix.