Nats avoid arbitration with Soto, Turner and Bell (updated)

The Nationals came to terms on 2021 salaries with Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Josh Bell today, avoiding arbitration with their three biggest offensive stars. Though the deadline for players and clubs to agree to salaries or file for arbitration was 1 p.m., it took hours for Major League Baseball to process the throng of cases that were submitted to league headquarters before many could be finalized.

Turner, in his third of four seasons of arbitration eligibilty, got the biggest salary for the upcoming season at $13 million, according to a source familiar with the terms. Soto, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time, will earn $8.5 million, according to another source, who also confirmed Bell's salary of $6.35 million.

Had the Nationals been unable to work out contract details with those players on their own, both sides would have been required to submit competing arbitration figures to the league, which then would have set hearings for February.

The Nationals last went to an arbitration hearing in 2019, when they couldn't agree to terms with either outfielder Michael A. Taylor or reliever Kyle Barraclough. The club wound up winning both cases. They've gone to arbitration only 11 total times since 2005.

Soto was arbitration-eligible for the first time, having qualified as a so-called Super Two player even though he falls a bit shy of three years of big league service time. After making only $629,400 last season - that number was prorated down to $233,111 due to the 60-game schedule - the 22-year-old slugger was due for a huge raise. The only question was how much he'd get, and whether there was any chance he would top Cody Bellinger's $11.5 million record salary for a first-time arbitration player.

In the end, Soto didn't match that number, settling at $8.5 million.

Turner is in his third of four years of arbitration eligibility, having qualified as a Super Two player two winters ago. His career-best 2020 performance left him in line for a big raise as well from his previous $7.45 million salary (prorated $2.76 million). He nearly doubled it with his agreed-to $13 million salary.

Bell, acquired Christmas Eve from the Pirates for two minor league pitchers, made $4.8 million ($1.78 million prorated) last season. Like all arbitration-eligible players, he was due a raise. But after struggling at the plate in 2020, his salary increase didn't figure to be as large as the ones Soto and Turner would get.

In the end, the sides were able to find common ground at $6.35 million, roughly in the neighborhood of the amount that had been expected all along.