Report: Nationals won't increase extension offer to Juan Soto

Jul 17, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Juan Soto (22) before hitting against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Nationals Park. James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Nationals won't increase contract extension offer to star Juan Soto

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 7/17/22

On Saturday, news broke that the Washington Nationals planned to shop star outfielder Juan Soto after he rejected the team's latest offer to reach an extension.

Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension from the Nationals. The 2020 NL batting champion reportedly wants a long-term contract with a higher total value than Mike Trout's $426 million deal and a historically high AAV.

According to the Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty, sources have said the Nationals won't increase their offer to Soto.

Dougherty also speculated what it might take for both sides to reach an agreement. With AAV seemingly being the biggest hurdle, Dougherty surmised that a 12-year or 13-year contract worth the same value might entice Soto.

But let’s say you keep the $440 million total value and slide the term down a bit, making it 13 years instead of 15. That’s almost $34 million on AV, just below Mike Trout for highest-paid position player ever. Go to 12 and you beat Trout at $36.6 million.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) July 17, 2022

Soto can't be a free agent until after the 2024 season, so he's unlikely to be traded ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline. The Nationals seem ready to play the long game with Soto, but they risk losing the face of their franchise for nothing or next to nothing if they're not careful.

While a resolution to the Soto/Nationals saga isn't likely to come soon, the New York Yankees have the highest odds (40 percent) of being Soto's next team. Behind the Yankees sit the Los Angeles Dodgers (28.57 percent), followed by the San Francisco Giants (26.67 percent) and New York Mets (25 percent).

Soto was elected to the All-Star team this season for the second year in a row. He's batting .250/.406/.490 with 19 home runs and 42 RBI in 90 games for the Nationals.

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