MLB Rumors: Superstar Juan Soto Reportedly Turned Down Massive Contract
Looking at a player that Dodgers fans long to see in the LA lineup day in and day out for the next 10 or so years, Nationals’ star Juan Soto was in the news recently with a report that he had turned down a monster contract extension.
ESPN’s Enrique Rojas revealed that Washington approached the All-Star with a 13-year, $350 million deal before the lockout and he turned it down. Insiders have felt that Soto could be the game’s first $500 million player as a free agent in a few years.
The notion of Juan Soto receiving the first $500 million contract in American professional team sports is not far-fetched. He'll be 26. There's already a $43 million-a-year player in his former teammate, Max Scherzer. If he stays healthy and productive, it's very realistic.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 16, 2022
The 23-year-old is already among the best in the game and his star is only rising. For Dodgers fans, an err of excitement arose when MLB insider for The Athletic, Jim Bowden, said in November that Soto would be “more likely to end up with the Dodgers or Yankees” than the Nationals long term.
Of course, it’s Jim Bowden, so grain of salt.
Insider Says Juan Soto Will End Up With Dodgers or Yankees, How LA Could Get Juan Soto One Day!
What does Juan Soto turning down $350 million in a rush job, pre-lockout offer mean right now? Not much. But it’s a sliver closer to a multiverse where the slugger calls Dodger Stadium home and that’s just fun.
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That would be something.
Expect the nationals to play this game this year, offering numbers he will get in arbitration. Then either trade him for young players, or they will offer a larger contract with huge deferred money. They will flood the press with the total value of the contract they offered not the details, and say they did everything possible to sign him. They don’t sign any of their players to large contracts without deferred money. They lost Harper and Rendon this way, and made Turner an offer lower than what his arbitration number. I expect they will repeat the Turner deal and trade him next year mid season particularly if Corbin and Strasberg are in the tank again.
The bidding starts, if he does become a free agent after his age-25 2024 season, at $440 million at 11 years for an AAV of $40 million. And that’s still way too low from what I believe he’ll get! But hey, they gave Mookie a 12 year contract after his age-27 season, and Mookie doesn’t have nearly the same plate discipline or raw power that the Childish Bambino has! So maybe he does get his half billion dollars! $500/13 years ($38.5 AAV). Harper years, Soto money. It’s happening!