Padres Sign Fernando Tatis Jr. to 14-year, $340 Million Contract Extension

By TheNaturalMevs on February 18, 2021

Now, the San Diego Padres are making headlines for all the right reasons. In a move that seems like it makes Fernando Tatis Jr. the new face of the game of baseball, they have signed their franchise cornerstone player to a monumental 14-year, $340 million dollar contract extension.

News: Fernando Tatis Jr., the emerging face of baseball, agreed to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, securing one of the largest guarantees in American sports history. Story is unlocked and free at ESPN: https://t.co/hTUcg78Mg2

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 18, 2021

Certainly, this is a deal that will continue to set the market for other players around the game, though Tatis is a unique case.

Now, the details from Jeff Passan of ESPN who broke the story; one that has been rumored about for a few weeks or months:

Tatis, 22, will receive the third-biggest deal in baseball history — and do so at a far younger age than Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, both of whom signed their megadeals at 27.

The 6-foot-3, 217-pound Tatis, whose dazzling shortstop play is perhaps exceeded by his prowess at the plate, went to San Diego via trade and is now the player around whom the Padres will build a team equipped to win a championship.

Equally important, this was the largest deal ever given to a player before he reached salary arbitration. Included in the deal was a full no-trade clause for Tatis Jr.

Last season, Tatis Jr. tantalized the game of baseball with his talent in the shortened season. Hitting leadoff, he hit .277/.366/.571 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs in 59 games for the Padres.

Now the stepsister to the Los Angeles Dodgers will look to challenge for the division crown. While they have a nice roster, they can’t be considered division favorites. However, they probably have the nicest young centerpiece in the game locked up, and now more than a decade to build the right pieces around him.

Hopefully, you see them restore their franchise to glory and become the once proud team they were when Tony Gwynn and other ragtags took the Padres to the World Series against the Yankees all the way back in 1998.