The Philadelphia Phillies "haven't had a single conversation" with the agent for star slugger Juan Soto, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Nightengale reported the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are the four serious suitors for Soto at this stage, and he described the Mets as "the clear-cut favorite."

On the Phillies, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported on Nov. 19 they planned to meet with Soto and his agent, Scott Boras.

Until the four-time All-Star signs a contract, there's theoretically time for another team to make a pitch at the eleventh hour. However, it's hard to see why Philadelphia would willingly cede valuable negotiating time with such a prized free agent if the team had serious interest.

To the extent Soto would clearly help every MLB team, spending $40-plus million a year on him may not be the best investment when the Phillies already have a solid offense. They ranked fifth in slugging (.425) and fourth in wOBA (.325), per FanGraphs.

Nightengale called the Blue Jays a "sleeper" in the Soto sweepstakes.

Last offseason, Toronto made a run at Shohei Ohtani. Who can forget that brief window when it looked like the two-way star was traveling north of the border ahead of a potential agreement with the team.

Beyond what he'd bring to the field now, signing Soto would be a massive sign of intent from the Blue Jays with homegrown stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette heading for free agency in the winter of 2025.

If the organization is prepared to break the bank for Soto, then it stands to reason it won't be dissuaded from Guerrero or Bichette's eventual asking prices.