Juan Soto contract: How much is the Padres phenom making in 2023?

When Juan Soto signed as a 19-year old free agent to the Washington Nationals in 2018, the team knew that it had something special. Now that the youngster is on the west coast, he has cashed in on an even bigger contract.

Soto signed as a 19-year old out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. He recorded 22 home runs and 70 RBIs in his rookie season, which was enough for him to finish second overall in the NL MVP voting that year.

"The day my appreciation for Juan Soto skyrocketed." - @ Leah

In 2019, Juan Soto hit 34 home runs and 110 RBIs, and was instrumental in his team's playoff push. In the World Series, Soto hit three home runs and seven RBIs in seven games as the Nats prevailed over the Houston Astros to win their first World Series.

However, over the next couple of seasons, it became clear that Washington was not headed back to the World Series any time soon. As a result, in August 2022, they shipped Soto along with first baseman Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres for a string of prospects.

Soto was well-received by the Padres, who were pushing for their second playoff berth since 2006. In 52 games with San Diego, he hit six home runs and 16 RBIs while registering a .236 batting average.

Although Soto contributed a pair of home runs and four RBIs in the 2022 NLCS, the Padres fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.

"Juan Soto's agent confirmed that the Washington Nationals "refused" to charter him a flight to the Home Run Derby, after he rejected their $440M contract extension. Soto flew commercial, arrived in LA at 1:30 a.m, then won the Derby. (via USAToday)" - @ Front Office Sports

According to sources, Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract with the Nats before being traded to the Padres. He said that he was not "comfortable" with a deal of that size.

Soto is in a state of pre-arbitration, meaning that he is in the midst of determing a salary agreement with San Diego. Whatever it is, we can be sure that it will be somewhere in the $20 million per year area.

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Juan Soto is one of the best young players in the MLB

At the age of 24, Soto has virtually his entire career ahead of him. The Padres are a team that has shown that they can contend in their division and in the wider league.

Consequently, we can certainly expect Juan Soto to have a big deal come his way very soon.