Why Juan Soto Declined the Biggest Contract in MLB History
The reasoning behind the decision to reject a 15-year, $440 million dollar contract
One of the Major League’s best hitters, Juan Soto, is on the trade block due to him rejecting his recent contract offer from the Washington Nationals. The proposed deal was fifteen years long and would’ve made him a grand total of $440 million dollars.
Additionally, unlike the contracts of his current teammates, Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer, Soto’s contract offer didn’t include any deferred money. Despite all this, Soto decided it was best to not sign his name on the contract.
This leaves many asking, why?
According to a June 1 interview done with Mike Rizzo, Nationals general manager, the Nationals did not want to trade Juan Soto. On the contrary, Rizzo wanted to make Soto the centerpiece of their rebuild.
“We are not trading Juan Soto. We made it clear to his agent (Boras) and to the player. … We have every intention of building this team around Juan Soto.” -Mike Rizzo
However, after the recent contract deferral, the Nationals have completely changed their mind. After offering what they believed was the best they could, it seems that Washington is likely to move on from its star player.
Despite this, Soto still has three more years left on his current contract, which doesn’t expire until he turns 26. His future is purely up to the Nationals’ management and if they believe they aren’t getting what they deserve in a potential trade, Soto may stay in Washington for some time.
With the trade deadline steadily approaching, on August 2, Juan’s agent, Scott Boras, is expecting a different outcome.
Boras, a more optimistic person, would like his client, Juan Soto, to test his value on the market before making such a hefty decision that would likely decide the rest of his baseball career.
Soto is going to enter free agency by the time he turns 26 and will seek a much larger deal. Although he hasn’t played up to his standards so far in this season (batting .247 with 19 homers and a .895 OPS), his value remains the same.
Any team that is able to trade for can easily raise their ceiling to a championship level, which is why it’s within the range of outcomes that Soto may sign upwards of a $500 million dollar contract once he hits free agency.
For the recent future, however, don’t be surprised if you don’t see Juan Soto wearing a Nationals jersey by the time the trade deadline rolls around.
These are the reasons why Juan Soto declined what would’ve been the biggest contract in MLB history. Let me know your opinions on this humongous decision in the comments.
