5 trade destinations for Juan Soto if the San Diego Padres decide to sell

3) Padres trade destination for Juan Soto: Philadelphia Phillies

Like the Blue Jays, the Phillies have one of the best lineups in baseball. It's deep and full of players who can hit a home run at virtually any moment while playing in one of the best hitting environments in the game. Adding Soto might be overkill, but this is the same team that added both Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos in the same offseason.

Let's just take a minute to imagine this lineup.

1. Trea Turner - SS
2. Juan Soto - LF
3. Nick Castellanos - RF
4. Bryce Harper - 1B (Phillies plan on using Harper at 1B very soon)
5. J.T. Realmuto - C
6. Kyle Schwarber - DH
7. Alec Bohm - 3B
8. Bryson Stott - 2B
9. Brandon Marsh - CF

How exactly do you pitch to this lineup? Short answer, you don't. The Phillies won the pennant last season and would have a great shot at doing so again if they pull off a Soto deal. They'd have the best lineup in baseball, and with the way they spend they can't be ruled out in retaining him either.

The Phillies have the desperation and the pieces to make it work. Andrew Painter might've just lost some value as he's about to undergo Tommy John Surgery, but he's one of, if not the best pitching prospect in baseball right now. The Phillies have other high-end pitching prospects as well with guys like Mick Abel and Griff McGarry.

It'd definitely be annoying to see Soto wear the uniform of the team that knocked the Friars out of the postseason last season, but a Soto deal is about getting the best return possible. Philadelphia has the elite prospect San Diego would want in Painter along with some other intriguing ones that could put them over the top.

And we know Phillies media has been asking about Soto plenty, right?