Juan Soto Bidding War Dwarfs Washington Nationals’ Current Payroll

The Washington Nationals haven’t made a move yet this offseason while their former star is expected to break the bank.

Oct 28, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) walks during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Former Washington Nationals star Juan Soto is the free-agent market’s top star. The bidding war is also getting out of control.

On Saturday, per multiple reports, the New York Mets were approaching a $50 million per ye price tag for the superstar, which on a 15-year deal would be $750 million. That would eclipse th 10-year, $700 million deal that Shohei Ohtani signed last offseason.

The bidding isn’t over yet. Five teams are reportedly involved. But when one compares his contract to the Washington Nationals, it’s almost comical how little the Nats are expected to spend for 2025 — at least right now.

Per Spotrac and other reporting, the Nationals have an expected payroll of $35 million right now. That’s because the vast majority of their players are either pre-arbitration or arbitration-eligible players that aren’t expected to make much in 2025.

The Nationals even chose not to tender reliever Kyle Finnegan a deal, and he was only expected to make $8 million in arbitration.

The gap between Soto’s growing deal and the Nats’ payroll, frankly, is comical. Washington can start to change that at the winter meetings in Dallas this week.

The negotiations also dwarf the deal the Nationals tried to get Soto into a couple of years ago.

That offer was for 15 years and $440 million.

Soto’s former Yankees teammate, Aaron Judge, has the highest average annual contract value at $40 million. If applied to Soto’s reported demand it would come to $600 million.

Soto has reportedly received five offers, all from large-market teams — the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays.

Soto is coming off his final season of team control as he slashed .288/.419/.569/.989 with 41 home runs and 109 RBI. He combined with Judge and the rest of the Yankees to get New York to the World Series, where it lost to the Dodgers.

Soto is just 26 years old and has already had an incredible career since he broke in with the Nationals in 2018 at age 19. While he's never been an MVP, he's been selected an All Star four times, finished in the Top 10 in MVP voting five times, won five silver sluggers and helped the Nationals win the 2019 World Series, the first in franchise history.