*Photo from USA Today*
Fernando Tatis Jr has just cashed in big time. The young superstar shortstop and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a 14 year, $340 million contract extension, according to Robert Murray of Fansided. The deal will expire when Tatis is 36, in 2035. Tatis gets this extension after just 143 major league games between 2019 and 2020. The Padres have confirmed the extension.
Tatis's contract extension, which gives him $340 million, is the 3rd largest contract in baseball history. It is also the largest deal for a player who is not yet arbitration eligible, blowing Mike Trout's $144 million extension out of the water. Tatis gets a full no trade clause with the extension, a signing bonus of over $10 million, and is making an average of $24.3 million per season.
Tatis had an excellent season in the middle of the San Diego Padres lineup, posting a .277 average with a .937 OPS, hitting 17 homers and driving in 45 runs in 59 games played in the shortened regular season. In his two seasons, Tatis has a .301 average with a .956 OPS, hitting 39 homers and driving in 98 runs in 143 games played.
Tatis already has some awards and trophies in his young major league career, particularly in 2020. He won a silver slugger at shortstop, and was a finalist for NL MVP in just his second major league season, finishing 4th overall in MVP voting.
With this extension, the Padres have also invested $812 million in just their infielders. Tatis and Manny Machado single handedly count for $640 million of that. They gave $144 million to 1B Eric Hosmer in 2018, and this winter, signed Ha-Seong Kim for 4 years and $28 million. They also have OF Wil Myers on a 6 year $83 million deal.
Tatis came to the Padres in a 2016 trade between the Padres and Chicago White Sox, in which the Padres sent James Shields, who was on an increasingly bad contract, to Chicago in exchange for Tatis, who, at the time, was a mid level prospect. After the trade, Tatis blossomed and his stock rose, and when he hit the majors in 2019, he quickly proved he belonged.
The Padres have had one of the best winters ever, as Tatis is the latest move in a long line of them. Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, Kim, Joe Musgrove, and Mark Melancon are the big names added, and Jurickson Profar was also re-signed.
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