After weeks of speculation, star outfielder Juan Soto has rejected a contract extension from the Nationals. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the offer was for 15 years and worth $440 million, and reportedly is Washington’s third offer in recent months. The average annual value of $29.33 million over the life of the contract would have been the 20th-highest in the league’s history.
Even with the Nationals owning the worst record in MLB at 30-62, the news of Soto possibly getting traded comes as a surprise to many. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said last month that the team had no interest in trading Soto and that he was seen centerpiece that the team would rebuild around. Soto is set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, and the Nationals will likely have a sky-high asking price for the young star. He will still only be 26 years old when he becomes eligible for free agency.
The 23-year-old superstar came up as a 19-year-old in 2018 and has raked ever since he stepped foot on an MLB field. For his career, Soto is hitting .292/.427/.560 (160 OPS+) with 117 homers, 108 doubles and 21.0 rWAR while drawing 452 walks against 406 strikeouts. Soto finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 and has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting three straight seasons, including a second-place finish in 2021. He won a World Series in 2019, the batting title in 2020, and is a two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger.
Even in a bit of a down year in 2022, Soto paces MLB with 79 walks in 385 plate appearances (20.5% walk rate) against just 54 strikeouts, and he’s hit 19 homers and 17 doubles while racking up 3.4 rWAR in 87 games. He’s also off to a red-hot start in July, hitting .417/.596/.889 with five homers and 21 walks against just four strikeouts in 52 plate appearances.
