Dave Dombrowski Explains Why Phillies Didn't Meet With Juan Soto

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski explained at the MLB Winter Meetings why the Phillies didn't ultimately have a free agent visit with Juan Soto and Scott Boras, as relayed by Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer: 

Why not meet with Juan Soto even if the #Phillies thought they wouldn't have the highest bid? "We had enough of a pulse to know that was taking place," Dave Dombrowski said.

— Scott Lauber (@scottlauber.bsky.social) December 9, 2024 at 6:59 PM

Now that Soto has agreed to a record-shattering 15-year/$765 million deal to join the Mets, it feels like this was the obvious outcome all along. Soto was going to go to the highest bidder, as Boras clients typically do. And Mets owner Steve Cohen was determined to lure the 26-year-old superstar to his team, both because he can help them win the World Series and he shifts the power dynamic between the two New York teams. With this signing, it feels like the Mets have become the dominant team in New York. 

Clearly, the Phillies weren't as invested in signing the five-time Silver Slugger Award winner as either the Mets or the Yankees, who did offer a 16-year/$760 million deal themselves per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. 

Even if the Phillies had been aggressive in their pursuit, managing partner John Middleton was probably correct in his assessment last month that Soto wanted to be in New York. The Phillies likely would have had the same outcome as the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox if they had really pushed for Soto. 

And so, Soto is back in the NL East with the Mets. And the Phillies will have to find a way over the next decade-and-a-half to win even as one of the greatest hitters the sport has ever seen regularly torments them.

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Where does the #Phillies payroll stand after the Jordan Romano signing? Here's the latest projection. 

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— Tim Kelly (@timkellysports.bsky.social) December 9, 2024 at 5:52 PM