Outfielder Juan Soto agreed to a $23 million, one-year contract with the San Diego Padres on Friday, a raise from his $17.1 million salary last season.
San Diego also reached a $14.1 million, one-year agreement with Josh Hader, the largest salary for an arbitration-eligible relief pitcher.
Seven Padres players were arbitration eligible this year but the team has never gone to an arbitration hearing with any of their players since AJ Preller took over as General Manager in 2014. This year's deals were:
- OF Juan Soto: $23 million
- LHP Josh Hader: $14.1 million
- IF Jake Cronenworth: $4.225 million
- OH Trent Grisham: $3.175 million
- C Austin Nola: $2.35 million
- LHP Tim Hill: $1.85 million
- LHP Adrian Morejon: $800,000
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The 24-year-old Soto hit .242 with 27 homers, 62 RBIs and a major league-leading 135 walks for Washington and San Diego, which acquired the 2020 NL batting champion from the Nationals in a trade on Aug. 2.
The two-time All-Star and winner of last year's Home Run Derby hit .236 with six homers and 16 RBIs in 52 games for the Padres. San Diego reached the playoffs and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series before losing to Philadelphia in the NL Championship Series.
Soto is eligible for salary arbitration after next season and can become a free agent following the 2024 World Series. He was eligible for arbitration for the first time after the 2020 season as a so-called Super 2 — players with more than two but fewer than three years of arbitration — and had an $8.5 million contract in 2021.
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Hader, a hard-throwing 28-year-old left-hander, was obtained from Milwaukee on Aug. 1 and was 1-1 with a 7.31 ERA and seven saves for San Diego. He finished 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA and 29 saves last year, when he had an $11 million salary.
A four-time All-Star with Milwaukee, Hader has 132 saves in six big league seasons. He is eligible for free agency after this year's World Series.
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