Baseball Trade: Who turned down 440 million dollars?

Juan Soto, an All-Star outfielder, recently declined a contract extension with the Washington Nationals that would have made him the highest-paid player in baseball history during the 2022 season.

According to sources, Soto, 23, turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer. The proposal, the Nationals’ third in recent months, did not include any deferred money, which is unusual for the team.

The Nationals’ offer surpassed Mike Trout’s 12-year, $426.5 million contract with the Angels in total dollars.

Soto would have received an average salary of $29.33 million, the 20th-highest in baseball history, with the contract spanning his ages from 24 to 38, effectively making him a National for the rest of his career.

Soto is under the team’s control until 2024, however, the Nationals intend to entertain trade offers for him before the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Soto has accomplished a lot in just five seasons, earning two All-Star nods, two Silver Slugger Awards, and one batting title, as well as playing a key role in the Nationals’ World Series victory in 2019.