Padres' Juan Soto linked to NL East team

While Shohei Ohtani is likely to be the crown jewel of free agency this offseason, San Diego Padres slugger Juan Soto may be in the same position a year from now. With that in mind, Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently speculated that the reigning National League champions could be a fit for Soto when the time comes. 

While free agency is still more than a year away for Soto, Heyman says that "baseball people" believe the Philadelphia Phillies are a natural landing spot for a three-time All-Star. 

The Phillies have the fourth-highest payroll in baseball and already have $167M allocated for 2025. However, Phillies majority owner John Middleton hasn't been bashful about dolling out gigantic contracts to superstars if it means giving the team a chance at a World Series. After all, Middleton has already signed off on several deals worth more than $100M, landing Bryce Harper (13 years, $330M), Trea Turner (11 years, $300M), Zack Wheeler (Five years, $118M), J.T. Realmuto (Five years, $115.5M) and Nick Castellanos (Five years, $100M). 

Furthermore, the Phillies have already thrown a goodwill gesture Soto's way. After this week's All-Star festivities in Seattle, the Phillies reportedly gave Soto a lift back to Philadelphia, where the Padres open up a four-game set Friday.