Braves, Mets fans troll Nationals for Juan Soto contract flop

Braves and Mets fans had a field day trolling the Nationals for low-balling Juan Soto with a contract offer well below his value.

Juan Soto is one of the top young players in the game. He might even command a contract worth upwards of $500 million.

Apparently, his team, the Nationals, aren’t aware of that.

Soto told Enrique Rojas of ESPN that he rejected a contract offer of $350 million over 13 years from Washington before the MLB lockout.

The deal would have kept him in Washington for the long term but fans of teams interested in adding Soto themselves, like the Braves and Mets, found it insulting.

Braves, Mets fans troll Nationals over Juan Soto contract

https://twitter.com/ShadowmereXO/status/1494029733285318659

Even if the Nationals used the $350 million as a starting point in their negotiations, it seems pretty low as an offer.

In terms of average salary, that deal wouldn’t put him in the top 15 highest-paid players in baseball at just $27 million per year.

Soto is 23 years old and has four excellent seasons in the major leagues under his belt. Given his youth and his MVP candidacy in each of the last three years, he should be in line for a massive payday.

Sure, $350 million is a whole lot of money for most people. For a talent like Soto, it’s well below what he will be worth on the open market.

The outfielder is expected to make somewhere in the range of $16 million through arbitration this year. He’s eligible for arbitration in 2023 and 2024 before becoming a free agent in 2025.

The sharks will be circling when that time comes if the Nationals aren’t able to put together a more competitive offer.

Turning down the contract now will cost Soto $10 million per year in the short term. Considering how he’s likely heading for a contract worth almost half a billion dollars, that’s a small cost to defer.