Report: Juan Soto turns down $440 million offer from Nats

The money is great — but not great enough for Juan Soto. 

MLB on FOX and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Saturday that the Washington Nationals are now willing to listen to trade offers for their 23-year old superstar after Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the franchise. 

“The Nationals’ offer exceeded in total dollars the 12-year, $426.5 million contract Mike Trout signed with the Angels in March 2019,” Rosenthal said. “Soto would have received an average salary of $29.33 million, the 20th-highest in baseball history, with the deal extending from his Ages 24 to 38 seasons, effectively making him a National for the rest of his career.”

Had Soto accepted, it would have been the largest contract in MLB history. 

It’s the second monster deal from the Nationals that Soto has declined this year, after he shunned a 13-year, $350 million offer before the offseason lockout. 

Soto is a two-time All-Star and two-time All-MLB first team performer. He was the National League batting champion in 2020 and is widely regarded as one of the best players in baseball. 

However, Soto is hitting a career-low .247 so far this season. His .490 slugging percentage is also the lowest of his young career. 

Through 89 games this season, he has 75 hits, 19 home runs and 42 runs batted in.

The Nationals are 30-62 as of Saturday, good for last in the NL East.