Washingtn Nationals have been the biggest deal in baseball history for 15 years, according to sources ready to hear Juan Soto's trade offer after the $440 million deal / contact was rejected.
Soto told ESPN earlier this year that he had declined a $350 million bid for 13 years before the off-season blockade. He is eligible to become a free agent after the 2024 season.
However, some team officials can secure a long-term contract with Soto, according to the athletics team who first reported on the Nationals' recent rejected contract offer and Nationals' openness to potential transactions. I don't believe it anymore.
If Soto is considering an extension from the Nationals, it's one of the longest, and the highest annual average in the game, sources told ESPN. The $ 29.3 million annual offer from the Nationals ranks only 15th among players based on their 2022 salary.
The decision to hear Soto's potential deal represents a change in the Nationals' plans after the team said last month that it wouldn't move the 23-year-old star.
"We don't sell Juan Soto," Rizzo told 106.7 fans on June 1st. They are at the bottom of the National League East in 14½ games this season, 30-62, and are heading for three consecutive losses after winning the 2019 World Series. Another issue affecting Soto's future in Washington is the possibility of the team being sold by the Lerner family, who have owned the Nationals since 2006. In April, Lerners said he was exploring the possibility of selling the Nationals and hired a company to find potential investors to buy some or all of the franchise.
Soto was selected as an All-Star for the second consecutive year, and in 2022 he recorded the lowest .247 in his career with 19 home runs and 42 RBIs in 89 games. He will play in the Home Run Derby on Monday.
The closing of trading for MLB is August 2nd.
Information from ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers was used in this report.
