San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres and Fernando Tatis Jr. officially announced the shortstop's 14-year, $340 million contract extension on Monday. 

During that press conference, general manager AJ Preller referred to it as a "statue contract," the sort of deal that could keep Tatis in San Diego long enough to one day have his own statue at the ballpark like club legends Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman:

"I want the statue on one team," Tatis said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "I want to be able to stay on one team and build my legacy over here in San Diego."

During the press conference, Tatis said his goal is to grow the game for the next generation of young athletes:

Tatis, 22, was fantastic for the Padres in 2020, hitting .277 with 17 homers, 45 RBI, 50 runs and 11 stolen bases in 50 games. It was quite the sophomore season, and he was even better in the postseason, hitting .318 with two dingers and five RBI in six games. 

It was the first time the Padres had reached the postseason since 2006, and Tatis was a major reason for the resurgence, pairing with Manny Machado to give San Diego the best left side of the infield in baseball. 

The Padres didn't rest on their laurels this offseason, trading for a pair of aces in Yu Darvish and Blake Snell while also signing KBO infielder Ha-Seong Kim and trading for another solid starter in Joe Musgrave, among other moves.

But locking up Tatis for the next decade-plus was the biggest move of all. 

Padres chairman Peter Seidler explained the contract extension by noting San Diego is not a "small-market franchise."

"We represent the eighth-largest city in America," Seidler said on the John Kentera Show (h/t 97.3 The Fan San Diego).

"I'm just grateful for everything," Tatis said Tuesday. "To the city of San Diego... We're here to stay. I love this city. I love the fans. I love the culture. I love the vibe. I'm all about winning, and I'm all about winning in San Diego."

Padres fans will be hoping Tatis and the team do quite a bit of winning in the years to come. If the team's exciting 2020 season was any indication, the Padres' title window is wide open for the foreseeable future. 

Even though Fernando Tatis Jr. recently agreed to one of the most lucrative contracts in Major League Baseball history, the San Diego Padres superstar owes a portion of that money to an investment fund.  

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic originally reported on Friday that when Tatis was a 19-year-old playing in the minors, he entered into a deal with Big League Advance, "a company that offers select minor leaguers upfront payments in exchange for a percentage of their future earnings in Major League Baseball."

Per Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal, Tatis will owe BLA an estimated $27.2 million as part of the agreement he signed with the company during the offseason ahead of the 2018 minor league campaign. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on Wednesday that Tatis agreed to a 14-year, $340 million extension with the Padres. 

Michael Schwimer, a former pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system who is now BLA's president and CEO, told Rosenthal in April 2018 the company's mission is not dissimilar to the stock market, but players don't owe anything if they never make it to the big leagues. 

"I tell every investor, 'If you invest in the stock market and you lose, you're losing money on Apple stock or whatever," Schwimer said. "If you invest in Big League Advance and lose, you have changed someone's life.'"

According to Diamond, the company uses a proprietary algorithm to project player performance and future earnings to determine the set amount it will loan a player. 

"For instance, if Big League Advance offers a minor-leaguer $100,000 up front for 1% of his earnings, that player can then decide to accept $500,000 in exchange for 5% or $1 million for 10%," Diamond wrote.

The company has drawn scrutiny from players and agents throughout the sport for its business practices. Per Rosenthal, the MLB Players Association sent a memo in January 2016 in which the union said it "'categorically' did not endorse or approve of BLA and its products and warned the future earnings the company sought from players were 'significant.'"

Padres catcher Francisco Mejia filed a lawsuit against BLA in February 2018, citing the "unconscionable" tactics used to get him to accept a $360,000 payment in exchange for 10 percent of his future earnings. 

Mejia eventually dropped the lawsuit, saying he's "happy with my agreement with Big League Advance" and doesn't "believe Big League Advance has ever deceived me."

Rosenthal noted that Major League Baseball told Baseball America in 2017 that representatives for BLA were attempting to recruit players using media credentials they received from the outlet. 

In 2018, Tatis spoke to Rosenthal about his deal with BLA, saying, "If I'm a successful player and make big money, I'm not going to care about giving that money away. That will be nothing if I make all that big money."

Tatis' $340 million agreement with the Padres is the third-largest in MLB history, behind Mookie Betts' $365 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mike Trout's $360 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels. 

Just 22 years old, Tatis has established himself as arguably the best young player in MLB. He has hit .301/.374/.582 with 39 homers and 98 RBI in 143 games over the past two seasons.

Starting pitcher Blake Snell is thrilled to join the San Diego Padres after the Tampa Bay Rays dealt him in a blockbuster deal this offseason. He just wasn't quite ready to leave Florida. 

In an essay published by The Players' Tribune on Thursday, Snell said it took a while to process the December trade after reaching the World Series in Tampa. 

"I have to be honest," Snell wrote of the trade. "In that moment, and even for a few weeks after, there was a huge part of me that was just really, really sad. This is going to sound corny, but my heart was tied super solidly to Tampa. I was there for 10 years. They believed in me, they drafted me, they built me up. That was my family."

San Diego sent four prospects to the Rays in order to acquire Snell, who remains under contract until 2024. 

The 2018 American League Cy Young-winner spent five seasons with the Rays and understood how the team operated. Because of its propensity to develop—or re-develop—prospects and stars before selling high on its players, Snell said some of his strongest relationships were with the security guards, clubbies and janitors at Tropicana Field. 

Those are the people he didn't get a chance to give a proper farewell to, and it's unclear when he'll see them again. The Padres don't play the Rays this season. 

"I had real relationships with all those people," Snell wrote. "Then it's just like … poof! I may never see some of them again. No matter how awesome and fun and incredible the new team is that you're going to … that stuff, the friendships and relationships, having that stuff disappear, it's just….It's not easy."

That's not to say Snell isn't excited for his future.

The ace said he's moved forward, has prepared himself for San Diego and is ready to get back to the World Series. He's already begun forming bonds with Manny Machado and has reconnected with former Rays teammate Tommy Pham. All that's left to do is prove what the roster is capable of.

"It couldn't be more perfect," Snell said. "Because this team … they have fun. They play with swagger, and confidence. And I'm all about that."

San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler appears happy his team was able to lock down Fernando Tatis Jr. with a reported 14-year extension.  

"I think the talent is undeniable," Tingler said of Tatis, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. "The more you're around him, the organization, the scouts, the minor league guys, the major league coaches, his teammates—it's just a consistent theme. His drive to win, his drive to improve."

Tatis will reportedly make $340 million on his new 14-year deal, which was agreed to Wednesday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.

This could be considered a significant risk for a 22-year-old player with only 143 games of major league experience, but the team clearly has faith he will continue to produce as his career progresses.

Despite a small sample size, Tatis has been a star so far in his professional career.

The shortstop finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 despite being limited to just 84 games, ending the season with 22 home runs, 16 stolen bases and a .317 average.

He was just as good in 2020 with 17 home runs, 11 stolen bases and a .937 OPS in 59 games during the shortened season. He was fourth in NL MVP voting after helping the Padres earn the second-best record in the league.

Add his quality defense at a premier position and Tatis ended the year seventh among position players with 2.8 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference. 

Tingler appreciates everything he brings to the organization, both on and off the field.

"The way he runs, the way he moves, the way he can hit for power, hit all directions, the work ethic, seeing him consistently improve in a lot of areas in the game, certainly defensively, and then the way he plays the game, with just such a fun spirit, the way his teammates view him, the way he treats other people—all those factors," the manager said.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.

That makes the 22-year-old the holder of the largest deal for a shortstop in MLB history. The previous record belonged to Alex Rodriguez, who once signed a 10-year, $275 million contract with the New York Yankees.

Here's a look at what that means for the Padres' payroll.

The deal carries an average annual value of $24.3 million, an AAV that would put him slightly behind teammate Manny Machado's $30 million AAV. Yu Darvish, meanwhile, has a salary with a $23 million price tag for 2021.

According to Cot's Contracts, the Padres entered Wednesday with a payroll of $166.3 million. At this point, it's not clear if Tatis' contract will include a sizable raise in 2021 or if the team's payroll will be unaffected this year.

Regardless, the team's payroll will now have another hefty contract on the books for years to come.

Though he has yet to play a full MLB season, Tatis has proved that he's worth such an investment. Through 59 games last season, he hit .277/.366/.571 with 17 home runs and 45 RBI, earned a Silver Slugger and finished fourth in voting for National League MVP after a run to the NL Division Series, where the Padres fell to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

He played just 84 games in his first year in the league, with a .317 batting average, 22 home runs and 53 RBI. The campaign was strong enough for him to finish third in voting for the NL's Rookie of the Year award.

With Tatis locked in until his mid-30s, the Padres championship window has surely extended.

The San Diego Padres and superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. came to terms on a 14-year contract extension Wednesday, per Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported the deal was for $340 million.

In just two MLB seasons, Tatis has quickly developed into one of the best all-around players in Major League Baseball, and the Padres' decision to lock up the 22-year-old phenom long-term speaks to that fact.

Tatis Jr., who is the son of former MLB third baseman Fernando Tatis, burst onto the scene in 2019 as a rookie when he hit .317 with 22 home runs, 53 RBI, 61 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Despite appearing in just 84 games, Tatis finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

His second season came under difficult circumstances in a campaign that was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tatis hit .277 with 17 homers, 45 RBI, 50 runs scored and 11 steals in 59 games, making him a clear NL MVP candidate.

Although the Padres fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, Tatis' first playoff run was a fruitful one. In six postseason games, he hit .318 with two home runs, five RBI and five runs scored.

Tatis would have been under team control through the 2024 season with arbitration each year from 2022 to 2024, but the Padres avoided having to go through that process by signing him to a new deal.

Perhaps no team in baseball is better set up for long-term success than the Padres, as they are stocked with quality prospects as well as young stars at the major league level.

A lineup consisting of Tatis, Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers is among the best in baseball, and it figures to help make the Padres World Series contenders in 2021 and beyond.

The Padres and their fans dealt with several lean years to get to this point, as they missed the playoffs in 13 consecutive years from 2007 to 2019, but with Tatis in the fold for a long time to come, the Padres could now become a perennial playoff team.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is already one of the most exciting players in the majors, and now he is on the cover of MLB The Show 21.

Tatis also made the announcement in a trailer Monday, which called him "The New Face of Baseball."

The game will be released April 20 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X, a change after exclusively being available on PlayStation consoles in past years.

The San Diego Padres shortstop finished fourth in NL MVP voting in 2020 after hitting 17 home runs with 11 stolen bases in 59 games during the shortened season, adding a .937 OPS.

The 22-year-old has also made headlines for excessive celebrations and hitting a grand slam on a 3-0 count when up by seven in the eighth inning of a game against the Texas Rangers.

"I've been asked to apologize for changing the game," Tatis said in the video. "Apparently, I've been breaking the unwritten rules of baseball. I'm sorry if things got too exciting and this isn't the game that you remember. But here's the thing: we're never going back."

Putting Tatis on the cover may appeal to the new generation of baseball fans.

Jurickson Profar has reportedly re-signed with the San Diego Padres.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Profar agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal Friday. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Profar has two opt-outs in the deal.

Profar enjoyed a good 2020 season in San Diego, hitting a career-high .278 with seven home runs, 25 RBI and seven stolen bases in 56 games. He also posted a career-high .771 OPS and showcased his defensive versatility with time spent at second base (17 games) and in the outfield (39).

Per Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs, Profar was the "consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball" before the 2013 season, when he was just 20 years old.

He played 94 games for the Texas Rangers in 2012 and 2013, hitting .234 in the latter year over 85 contests. However, a shoulder injury forced him to miss the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Profar took part in only 112 games over the 2016 and 2017 seasons as Ryan Rua and Delino DeShields got more playing time in the latter year. He got a chance to play full-time in 2018 and responded with 20 home runs, 77 RBI and a .254 average.

However, the Rangers traded Profar to the Oakland Athletics in December 2018. Profar was an Athletics regular in 2019, hitting another 20 homers but seeing his batting average fall to .218.

The A's then dealt Profar to San Diego, who benefitted from the 27-year-old's success as he helped his team reach the National League Division Series.

The Padres have gone all-in to win in 2021 coming off a playoff appearance last season. Profar's return comes after the team acquired Blake Snell, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove to bolster the starting rotation.

Even though the Los Angeles Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions, the Padres have the talent to challenge them for the top spot in the NL West this season.