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Report: Soto Declines Nationals' Offer, Option for Phillies?
Juan Soto reportedly declined a 13-year, $350 million contract extension by the Washington Nationals in November, per ESPN's Enrique Rojas. The 23-year-old outfielder is instead choosing to test free agency at the end of the 2024 MLB season.
According to ESPN, the offer was intended to start this season and did not include deferred money. Had it been agreed upon, Soto would have earned an average salary of almost $27 million until 2034, when he will be 36.
"Yes, they made me an offer a few months ago, before the lockout," Soto told ESPN. "But right now, my agents and I think the best option is to go year by year and wait for free agency. My agent, Scott Boras, has control over the situation."
Although Soto claimed that he still thinks of Washington as the place he'd "like to spend the rest of his career," former Washington National Bryce Harper said the same ten years ago.
"You look at Cal Ripken. You look at Derek Jeter. You look at all the greats that played for one team their whole career," Harper told The Washington Post in 2012. "I want to be like that. I've always wanted to be like that. I've always wanted to play with that same team."
Fast forward to Feb. 28, 2019, when Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent. So much for calling Washington home for an entire career.
Harper and Soto have a lot in common. Both began their careers with the Nationals, broke onto the scene as young phenoms in MLB, have the same agent, and Soto even finished right behind Harper in NL MVP voting in 2021. So, could Soto add being a Philadelphia Phillie to things he has in common with his former teammate when he reaches free agency in a few years?
Think about it. The Phillies need an outfielder, and they are likely to sign one after the lockout. However, that contract is likely to only be a two- or three-year deal, allowing for a spot to open up for Soto just in time. And with the DH supposedly making its way to the NL, the club could always shift players around if need be.
Moreover, there isn't much left for Soto in Washington. He's already won a championship with the team, and the organization cleaned house at the 2021 trade deadline. The only ones left from the Nationals' starting lineup for Game 7 of the 2019 World Series are Soto and Victor Robles. Washington finished 65-97 last season, good for last place in the NL East.
Philadelphia is in win-now mode. Most of their core is still in their primes, and Harper is signed through 2031, where he will still only be 32 by the time the 2025 season rolls around, with Soto being just 26, both having October birthdays.
Soto is a star, already having an All-Star Game selection, two Silver Slugger Awards, and a batting title to his name, with an MVP likely to come in the near future, and he wants to continue to win. The kid is the real deal, hence why the Nationals were so eager to bring him back before other teams got the chance at him. If the right deal is in the cards for Philadelphia, they should absolutely do it.
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