MLB Rumors: Juan Soto Turned Down 13-Year, $350M Nationals Contract Before Lockout

The Washington Nationals reportedly offered All-Star right fielder Juan Soto a 13-year, $350 million contract extension before the MLB lockout began Dec. 2.

ESPN's Enrique Rojas on Wednesday reported details of the proposal, which did not include deferred money.

"Yes, they made me the offer a couple of months ago, before the lockout we have in baseball," Soto told Rojas. "But right now, me and my agents think the best option is to go year after year and wait for free agency. My agent, Scott Boras, is in control of that situation."

The 23-year-old Dominican Republic native has emerged as one of MLB's best players since making his debut for Washington in May 2018. His 17.7 WAR over the past four seasons is tied for eighth among hitters, per FanGraphs.

Soto is coming off a campaign wherein he ranked third with a .999 OPS to go along with 29 home runs in 151 games. He's also a rarity in the modern game, as he recorded more walks (an MLB-best 145) than strikeouts (93). That 1.6 BB/K ratio led the majors and was nearly double the next closest qualified hitter (0.9 by the Houston Astros' Yuli Gurriel).

The left-handed slugger is arbitration-eligible through 2024 and can become a free agent ahead of the 2025 season.

If he continues to produce at an MVP level and lands on the open market, he will surely challenge for the richest deal in MLB history. That mark is held by the Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout with his 12-year, $426.5 million contract.

In March, ESPN's Jeff Passan suggested Soto could approach a $500 million deal as a free agent and provided comments from the outfielder:

"If I get something like that, it's going to be a lot of people in a good spot. A lot of people around me [are] going to get helped by that money. That was the only thing that I think. I believe in God and he's always talking about give love to the people that you love and help the people, help the world, whatever you can. And that's how my mom and my dad helped me out with it, just trying to help people. For me, that's the only thing that gets to my mind when I hear about all the money."

The talk about Soto's free agency won't bring back welcome memories for Nats fans, as Bryce Harper bolted to the National League East-rival Philadelphia Phillies in 2019 for a 13-year, $330 million contract. Harper won the 2021 NL MVP Award.

A lot can change over the next three years, especially since MLB and the MLB Players Association are without a collective bargaining agreement, so it's probably too soon for Washington to start worrying too much about Soto's potential departure.

That said, there is pressure on the franchise to capitalize while one of MLB's top players leads its lineup. That would likely mean signing free agents to bolster the cast around Soto once the lockout ends.