Juan Soto is hoping for a big payday in MLB free agency or with a potential contract extension with the San Diego Padres. However, MLB Hall of Famer David Ortiz believes Soto should have taken a 15-year, $440 contract offer from the Washington Nationals prior to getting traded last year, per Hector Gomez, translated to English via Talk Nats on Twitter.

“Anyone who knows this business knows that you don't say no to that offer,” Ortiz said. “They were going to put his name on that franchise. What do you do with $500 million that you can't do with $440 million?”

Soto has played better baseball in recent action following a slow start to the 2023 campaign. The same can be said for San Diego, who previously held a similar record to the rebuilding Nationals. Although the Padres have separated themselves from Washington, they still sit in just fourth place in the National League West.

Overall, Juan Soto is currently slashing .256/.411/.484 with an .895 OPS. He's hit 13 home runs, stolen six bases, and clubbed 17 doubles. Soto has once again displayed tremendous discipline at the plate as evidenced by his superb .411 OBP, which has led to a league-leading 65 walks as of this story's publication. Meanwhile, he's struck out just 64 times.

There's no question that Soto is a star. The question is whether or not he will get paid more than $440 million dollars. He won't turn 25-years old until October, so teams will likely be willing to offer him a long deal. He's also a fairly safe player to invest in, as even if he struggles with the bat he's still going to get on base at an elite rate.

Nevertheless, David Ortiz seems to think Juan Soto should have taken the Nationals' contract offer.