On Saturday morning, the MLB world erupted as news broke that outfielder Juan Soto, one of the best young players in the game, declined a 14-year, $440M extension from the Washington Nationals.
Following this season, Soto is under team control for two more years before he’s eligible to become a free agent. Had he accept the offer, the 24-year-old would have been under contract with the Nationals until he was 38.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was the first to report the news that Soto had declined the extension and that Washington could be open to trading him.
This isn’t the first Soto news of the year either. Earlier this season, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Nationals were open to exploring potential trades for their all-world outfielder. Washington did their best to quell the rumors, stating that they weren’t actively shopping Soto.
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The Nationals currently have the worst record in baseball (31-63) and most industry insiders believes that the team will be sold sooner rather than later.
Washington’s ineptitude, and their ownership status, are likely both factors in Soto’s decision to turn down the eye-popping extension.
Most of the core of the 2019 world championship team, including Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, are gone. World Series MVP and staff ace Stephen Strasberg has pitched in eight games since the Nats title run.
To be fair, another key factor in Soto turning down the extension is his agent, Scott Boras.
Boras is the most powerful agent in all of sports and routinely ensures that his clients hit the open market to grab as much cash as possible.
Of course, as soon as the Soto news broke the baseball internet, Dodgers fans and MLB reporters alike starting theorizing whether or not LA would pursue a trade for yet another superstar.
Time will tell if the Dodgers are willing to pay for the most expensive multi-year rental in baseball history.
