Phillies 'unlikely' to sign Yankees $500 million star despite rumors

The Philadelphia Phillies likely will be aggressive this winter, but that may not mean that they will land one of the best players in baseball.

Philadelphia is no stranger to landing superstar talent. The Phillies have shelled out many millions of dollars over the last few years, being aggressive in free agency. Philadelphia's roster is in a great spot, but they no longer are in the playoffs.

The Phillies were knocked out by the New York Mets and already are going back to the drawing board. One area the team could improve this winter is the outfield. Philadelphia could look to add a little more pop to the outfield. Because of this, New York Yankees star Juan Soto has been mentioned as a fit on numerous occasions.

He has connections to the Phillies' club -- like Bryce Harper -- and undoubtedly will be the best player available this winter. While this is the case, MLB.com's Todd Zolecki said that Philadelphia is "unlikely" to sign Soto.

"The club will be linked to free agent Juan Soto until he signs a deal, but it is unlikely they will sign him," Zolecki said. “I don’t think we need to have more star players,” (Dave Dombrowski) said. "We have as many stars as about anybody in baseball. Sometimes, it’s not only the star players; it’s also sometimes the supporting cast.”

"Philadelphia will have another top-five payroll in 2025. Cot’s Contracts projects the 40-man roster to be $262.6 million, but that’s without (Jeff Hoffman) and/or (Carlos Estévez) and other potential free-agent signings. The projection already pushes the Phils past the second luxury tax threshold at $261 million. The third luxury tax threshold is $281 million."

It would be amazing to see Soto in Philadelphia, but it surely seems unlikely.

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