Juan Soto rejects an offer of $440 million; Trade proposals will be received by citizens: Sources

Juan Soto is available.

The All-Star player recently turned down an offer from the Washington natives that would have made him the highest-paid player in baseball history, and the team is now planning to entertain commercial offers for him, a seismic development leading up to the August 2 deadline. .

Sources said Soto, 23, rejected a 15-year offer worth $440 million. The proposal, the third for players in recent months, did not include any deferred funds, in a departure from the team’s usual practice. The two biggest guarantees in the club’s history, $245 million for right-hand man Stephen Strasbourg and $210 million for right-hand Max Scherzer, involved significant delays, lowering the current values ​​of the deals.

The Exceeding the view of the citizens In total in dollars for 12 years, Mike Trout had a $426.5 million contract with the Angels in March 2019. Soto had earned an average salary of $29.33 million, the 20th highest in baseball history, with the deal spanning his lifespan of 24 to 38 seasons, effectively making him a citizen for the rest of his career.

Soto’s agent, Scott Borras, generally prefers his clients to establish their values ​​in the marketplace. Soto is on his way to becoming a free agent entering his season at the age of 26, possibly seeking a deal of over $500 million. Boras could not be reached for comment.

On June 1, 106.7, Director General of Citizens Mike Rizzo told The Fan, a Washington, D.C. radio station, that Team does not trade Soto before the deadline. Instead, Rizzo said, the team wanted to make Soto the centerpiece of its rebuilding plan.

“We don’t trade Juan Soto,” said Rizzo. “We made it clear to his agent (Boras) and to the player. … We have every intention of building this team around Juan Soto.”

Sources said Soto’s refusal of the $440 million changed the equation, leaving club officials to believe that if they couldn’t sign him for that money, they never would. Citizens regard their exploration of the Soto trade as due diligence. He is under club control for the rest of this season and then two more. The team does not need to trade it immediately if it does not receive the required offer.

Soto, who hits .247 with 19 wreckers and 895 OPS, runs well below its usual levels, but it got hot in July.

Any team that gains it will dominate it for three banner races. That number will drop to two once the deadline has passed, reducing his future trading value. Soto, who earns $17.1 million, is also likely to receive significant increases in the last two years of his salary arbitration.

The upcoming sale of the Nationals, owned by the Lerner family since 2006, is another factor in the team’s approach to Soto. With the Lerners considering selling the team, they wanted to make their position with Soto clear to potential buyers. Soto is an asset, but not if his contract is so big that it’s difficult for citizens to build around it.

Nationals (32-60) have the worst record in majors. Soto’s circulation would be a way to replenish the depleted farm system, which the athleteKeith Low Rank 27 out of 30 Major League Privileges.

(Photo: Jonathan Newton/Washington Post via Getty Images)