"Juan Soto is a $500,000,000 player" - Phillies insider points Bryce Harper & Trea Turner $600M+ contracts as barriers for interest in Yankee star

The World Series is rapidly approaching, however, the pending unrestricted free agency of Juan Soto remains one of the top stories in the MLB. The talented outfielder has been a force for the New York Yankees so far in the postseason, which will only help him when it comes to negotiating his next contract this offseason.

While the Yankees will be looking to re-sign Soto, there have been a number of clubs linked to the outfielder. The New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals have all been mentioned as potential landing spots for Soto. However, Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has seemingly shut down the idea of pursuing the All-Star slugger.

“I don't necessarily think that the answer is always a star player. I'm not saying we won't get one, but I don't think it's a necessity by any means," Dombrowski said of the team's offseason plans.

The topic came up on the latest episode of The Phillies Show, with hosts Todd Zolecki, Jim Salisbury, and former Philadelphia GM Rubén Amaro Jr. diving into it.

"With two $300,000,000 players already, one who's signed for nine more years and one who's signed for seven more years ... I just don't see it happening [23:00]," Salisbury said of the Juan Soto situation.

Although any team would love to have a player like Juan Soto join its roster, for Philadelphia, it may be too much of a financial burden to add him to the lineup. With stars such as Bryce Harper and Trea Turner already commanding sizable nine-figure deals, adding Soto, who is likely to make more than either player, would be too much of a burden.

"I just don't see it happening, I think it's a New York or San Francisco thing ... I mentioned they had two $300,000,000 already. This [Juan Soto] is probably going to be a $500,000,000 player [23:44]," Salisbury continued.

The Phillies could pursue more impact depth players as opposed to Juan Soto

Although the Philadelphia Phillies were one of the top teams all season long, they failed to reach their postseason goals, falling to the New York Mets in the NLDS. Despite their strong roster, it's unlikely that the Phillies and Dave Dombrowski will sit still.

While negotiating a massive contract for Juan Soto may be out of the cards, there will be a number of interesting role players who could draw interest from the Phillies in free agency. They may not be the hottest names among them, but putting players such as a Mark Canha or Josh Bell on the roster around their current core of stars could go a long way toward a World Series title.