Juan Soto Rejects $440 Million from Nationals. So will either Chicago team pursue him?
Juan Soto turned down an offer from the Washington Nationals’ front office. The contract would have been for 15 years $440 Million and taken the title of the largest contract in the MLB. However according to Ken Rosenthal, Juan Soto rejected this offer, and the Nationals are now rumored to trade Juan Soto.
BREAKING: Juan Soto rejects $440M offer. Nationals will now entertain trading him. Story: https://t.co/u4ubuImb2S
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 16, 2022
Why Turn Down so much Money?
Although this would have been the largest contract for any MLB player, it would not have been the highest AAV (Average Annual Value). Currently Max Scherzer owns the highest AAV of $43,333,333, while this contract would have given Juan Soto approximately an AAV of 29,333,333.
It was not totally unreasonable for him to turn down this contract, as he will find much better luck from larger market teams willing to pay him, as well as not be tied down for 15 years. If he had signed, that meant the next time he would be a free agent would be in his age 38 season, which is quite old for a baseball player to enter free agency, although its definitely not impossible to secure a contract at that age.
What does this Mean for Chicago Baseball Fans?
If you are a fan of either the Chicago White Sox or the Chicago Cubs, I wouldn’t hope to obtain Juan Soto, although it is not impossible. The main impact this could have is a division rival scooping him up in a large deal. In the American league, the only team that might try to secure him would be the Twins, although if they don’t trade for him this season, the odds of this happening are low.
As for the National league, the Cardinals could have a legitimate shot of acquiring Juan Soto for a larger contract as well as in trade. The best shot that either Chicago team might have at acquiring Juan Soto would be for a package deal with their top prospects, of which there would still be a slim chance that the Nationals would Even consider a deal like that.
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