Nationals' Juan Soto: Settles with Nats for $17.1 million

Soto agreed to a one-year, $17.1 million contract with the Nationals on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Soto received a huge figure in his second year of arbitration eligibility after earning $8.5 million last year. The 23-year-old reportedly turned down a 13-year, $350 million extension from the Nationals prior to the start of the lockout in December, as it appears he's not in a major rush to ink a long-term deal. Soto hit .313/.465/.534 with 29 home runs, 111 runs, 95 RBI and nine stolen bases in 2021 and finished as the runner-up in NL MVP voting behind Bryce Harper.