THE Philadelphia Phillies are heading into the offseason and looking to improve and finally get this team over the hump in the playoffs.

It was a disappointing end to the 2024 campaign, as the Phillies lost to the New York Mets in the National League Division Series. This offseason, Philadelphia has a few key areas they will need to improve on based on why they lost to the Mets.

First, fixing the bullpen will be a priority, as it should be. In addition to failing against New York, they also Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez in free agency. In addition to the bullpen, adding some help in the outfield would be welcome, plus Nicolas Castellanosthe rest of the outfield didn’t hit well.

In free agency, first prize will be the outfielder Juan Soto. Even though every team will want to sign him, not every team will be able to afford him. While the Phillies are certainly one of the teams that could take on this expense, if they wanted to, it could make a lot of sense for them as well. Here are four reasons why they should sign the talented 26-year-old.

The Harper deal worked

While it’s difficult to make a free agency comparison for a player as young as Soto, perhaps the best player lineup could be Bryce Harper. Philadelphia managed to win this contest years ago, and it worked out well.

Harper is still one of the best players in baseball and the team has had a lot of success with him leading the way. Making a similar move with Soto would be a good move based on the success they’ve had with arguably the closest comparison.

Need help in the field

The performance of the outfielders in the postseason, besides Castellanos, was really poor and was one of the main reasons the Phillies were eliminated from the postseason. Making a splash like getting Soto would instantly solve this problem, as a combination of Soto and Castellanos in the outfield would be great.

Arms race with the Dodgers

Over the past two years, the Los Angeles Dodgers have really increased in free agency and in trades. In doing so, they have created an extremely talented team that has a large winning window. Philadelphia must view the Dodgers as the biggest threat in the National League with their roster and willingness to spend on top free agents. They could very well be siding with the 26-year-old as well, as they don’t sit around after winning a World Series.

Built to win

The current Phillies roster is built to win with talented veterans like Harper and Zack Wheeler always performing at a very high level. That being said, this core has yet to get over the hump and win a World Series, as the franchise clearly needs more.

Adding a superstar like Soto would certainly be an overall move to prove that they are committed to trying to win a championship with their core, and there would really be no excuse for not living up to those expectations over the next couple of years. .