Juan Soto, one of the best hitters in all of baseball, is reportedly available for trade, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The 23-year-old All-Star outfielder reportedly rejected a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals, which would have made him the highest-paid player in MLB history. Washington now plans to listen to trade offers involving Soto ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline.
Soto and the Nationals have gone back and forth in recent months over a contract extension, with the latest $440 million extension being the third such offer made by the organization. According to Rosenthal, the offer did not include any deferred money and would’ve likely kept the young superstar in the nation’s capital for the rest of his career.
Additionally, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has been bullish when asked about possibly trading Soto. He’s definitively shut down any speculation on the matter, with his latest denial coming on June 1.
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“We are not trading Juan Soto,” Rizzo said on 106.7 the Fan. “We made it clear to his agent [Boras] and to the player. … We have every intention of building this team around Juan Soto.”
However, with Soto rejecting the $440 million offer, club officials reportedly believe they won’t have a better chance to sign the two-time All-Star, according to Rosenthal. The 23-year-old remains under club control for the rest of the season, and then two more after that, so the team does not need to trade him immediately if it does not get what it deems to be an acceptable offer.
Soto has been a reliable contributor once again in 2022, his fifth season in the majors. Through 89 games, he’s hitting .247/.405/.490 with 19 homers and an .895 OPS, proving to be one of the few highlights for a Nationals team that is 30–62 heading into the All-Star break.
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