Juan Soto turned down a large, long term contract from the Washington Nationals:

The Washington Nationals offered a 13-year, $350 million extension to outfielder Juan Soto before the current lockout by Major League Baseball, he confirmed to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas on Wednesday.

The offer, made before the work stoppage, was intended to start this season and did not include deferred money, a Nationals source told ESPN. Had it materialized, Soto would have earned an average salary of almost $27 million until 2034, when he will turn 36.

“Yes, they made me an offer a few months ago, before the lockout,” Soto said. “But right now, my agents and I think the best option is to go year by year and wait for free agency. My agent, Scott Boras, has control over the situation.”

ESPN.com

It takes quite a bit of guts to give up that kind of guaranteed money. I suspect it will be worth it for Soto, since he only needs to stay healthy for three more years. He’ll be in his early prime, one of the best hitters in the game, and ripe for a $500 million contract. Of course, if he blows out his knee tomorrow, it will look like a poor decision.