Athletes

Why Would Juan Soto Turn Down a $350M Extension?

The contract would be the third-most lucrative in MLB by total value.
But the $26.9M average annual value would rank only 17th.

Feb 17, 2022 | 02:16 pm

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports/Design: John Regula

Juan Soto turned down a 13-year, $350 million contract with the Nationals prior to the MLB lockout.

Given his sky-high potential, even the third-highest total contract in baseball would be nowhere near what he’s worth — and super-agent Scott Boras knows it. In terms of AAV, Soto would only rank 17th ($26.9M).

If the 23-year-old can keep up his tremendous production, he could command the first $500 million contract in MLB history when he’s a free agent in 2024.

Soto is the sixth player in MLB history to finish second in both Rookie of the Year (2018) and MVP (2021) voting.
During the shortened 2020 season, he led the majors in batting average (.351) and OPS (1.185).
His career position-player WAR (17.6) is the highest of anyone who has been in the league for four seasons or fewer — including Ronald Acuna Jr. (14.9) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (13.6).

Tatis set the market for young superstars with the 14-year, $340 million deal he signed last offseason — likely a bargain for the Padres in the long run. Acuna, meanwhile, got “only” an eight-year, $100 million contract from the Braves after winning the 2018 ROY.

Assuming there is a 2022 season, Soto can increase his leverage by winning National League MVP — he’s currently the co-favorite with Tatis (both +350*).