The MLB world finally gave us some non-lockout news: Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto turned down a huge contract extension offer prior to the lockout.
The proposal was for 13 years and $350 million, a sizable amount of money for a 23-year-old player.
However, Soto is not just your average 23-year-old player.
His career line is extremely impressive: .301/.432/.550 with 98 home runs and a .981 OPS.
As a 21-year-old in 2019, he carried the Nats to a World Series title, and has been an MVP candidate virtually every year since making his debut in 2018.
He took just a handful of at-bats in Double-A in that 2018 season: that was all the Nationals needed to see to make him skip Triple-A and go to the majors and shine there.
He has won multiple Silver Slugger awards and a batting title, in 2020.
He is an on-base machine who happens to have a great, balanced swing capable of producing a .300 average and 30-homer power.
Nobody in MLB has his plate coverage and discipline.
Fans Reacted To Soto’s Rejection Of $350 Million
Naturally, fans reacted to the news he actually rejected $350 million.
A lot of people think he is worth more than that.
Very few players can look at a $350 million contract offer and say "yeah, I'm worth more than that."
Juan Soto is definitely one of those players.
— Casey Drottar (@CDrottar19) February 16, 2022
future $500 million Met Juan Soto 🙂 https://t.co/w2ED8LxDA4
— Bobby Wagner (@bwags) February 16, 2022
However, some people think he should have gotten the money.
I never blame a player for betting on themselves, and Juan Soto could very well earn more. But if it were me, I'd have taken the guarantee.
$350 million is not a lip-service offer. That's a legit offer. Good on the Nats for trying, and good on Soto for having guts.
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) February 16, 2022
Juan Soto really turned down $350 million. That’s crazy to me.
— Jacob Moskowitz (@Moskowitz13) February 16, 2022
To compare with a recent example, San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million extension before the 2021 season.
The Padres, however, bought two pre-arbitration seasons (near the league minimum) and three arbitration years in the deal, lowering the final number.
The Nats wouldn’t be paying any pre-arbitration seasons, but three arbitration seasons and free agency.
Therefore, they are not really comparable deals, as Soto will probably sign the larger deal because he is closer to free agency than Tatis was.
In any case, he is about to be a very, very rich man.
NEXT: MLB Fans Remembering Baseball History To Forget Lockout
