[Sports] Tatis' extension with the Padres would not be as close as has been leaked

[EvKirito]

The San Diego Padres and shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. would be far from reaching an extension agreement for the next few days. This is what Bob Nightengale, one of the most respected and best informed pens in the industry, reports in an article published this Monday by the USA TODAY newspaper.

“There is a small problem with these breathless reports that the San Diego Padres are about to sign shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. to a historic contract extension that exceeds $ 300 million. The two sides have yet to start talking. Really, ”writes Nightengale from Phoenix, Arizona.

“Oh yeah, Padres manager A.J. Preller said in October that he would love to lock up Tatis with a contract extension before the 2021 season. Tatis, 22, has repeatedly said that he would love to be a father for life. But there is no truth to the reports and speculation that they have been negotiating a contract extension that could be announced this week, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, ”wrote Nightengale.

However, the report realizes that the parties could begin to discuss the pact before the first-class training sessions, in mid-February.

 

 

The Padres certainly believe they have one of the biggest young stars in the game, but they also realize that he hasn't played a full season yet.

Tatis may have finished fourth in the National League MVP voting last year, hitting .277 with 17 home runs, 45 RBIs and scoring 50 while winning a Silver Bat award, but he has also played just 143 games in his career. (He's a 301 career hitter and a .956 on-base percentage plus slugging.)

When Mookie Betts received his record 12-year, $ 365 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers last July, he had already played 794 games with an MVP and three other top-10 MVP finishes, four Game of Thrones appearances. Stars, four Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers on his resume.

Tatis would void all contracts awarded to a player with so little experience in baseball history. Mike Trout's six-year, $ 144 million extension with the Los Angeles Angels in 2014 is the record for a player not eligible for salary arbitration. Ronald Acuña, who had just 115 games of experience, signed an eight-year, $ 100 million contract extension with Atlanta in April 2019, and Alex Bregman signed a six-year, $ 100 million extension a month earlier with the Astros. from Houston.

The Padres would gladly present one of those contract offers right now to Tatis, and Tatis would try to avoid laughing in his face.

The boy is in full control.

Tatis may be making little more than the $ 570,000 minimum wage in the field, but he is raising about $ 4 million to $ 5 million in marketing endorsements and team deals, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

Tatis can still reach free agency at age 25, if not sooner.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires Dec. 1, and who knows, maybe the new agreement will allow players to qualify for free agency after five years of major league service instead of six years.

There is no urgency from Tatis. Even if he goes year after year, he can make maybe $ 45 million in his three years of salary arbitration (2022-24) before entering the free agent market.

So what is a fair contract extension for Tatis to consider now?

By the time he reaches free agency, the current fee for premium position players could be worth a minimum of $ 40 million a year.

The Padres, who have already added about $ 33 million to their payroll in 2021, are certainly not being shy this winter, already acquiring aces Blake Snell and Yu Darvish on trades and paying $ 28 million in a four-year deal for him. infielder Ha-Seong. Kim. They also have a relationship with Tatis' agent Dan Lozano, who negotiated a 10-year, $ 300 million deal with third baseman Manny Machado two years ago.

They have a team built to win not just now, but in the future as well, and that future could extend into the next decade to a great extent for Tatis.

The two sides plan to meet and discuss a contract extension before spring training, and if an agreement cannot be reached, they will simply postpone discussions until next offseason.

There is no rush, just a lot of uncertainty.

Perhaps it makes more sense for both sides to just wait, perhaps seeing what the New York Mets offer Francisco Lindor to stay. Or wait until next winter to determine what the next great class of shortstop in the open market with Javy Baez, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story and Corey Seager demands.

There is still a lot of time.

But time is ticking, and when negotiations start in a few weeks, we'll see if anyone really blinks.