DENVER, CO - AUGUST 28: Fernando Tatis Jr. #42 of the San Diego Padres reacts after being hit by the ball on the pickoff attempt after sliding safely into third base with a sixth inning steal against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on August 28, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. The day honoring Jackie Robinson, traditionally held on April 15, was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday night, superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension with the San Diego Padres. This signing secured one of the largest contracts in American sports for Tatis, and it keeps him in San Diego, where he established himself as a star-caliber player.
The Padres acquired Tatis via trade with the Chicago White Sox when he was in the minor leagues in 2016 for aging starter James Shields. In 2019, Tatis exhibited so much talent in spring training that the Padres started him at shortstop on opening day. He has been in the big leagues ever since.
Within the mega contract, Tatis will receive a full no-trade clause, allowing him veto power over any potential deals that could arise. The $340 million deal marks the largest contract given to a player before reaching arbitration — nearly $200 million more than Mike Trout‘s contract extension.
Trout’s second contract extension set a domestic sports record with $426.5 million guaranteed, and Mookie Betts’ contract came in second with $392 million. Following them, Tatis received the third-largest contract in baseball history, and he did so at age 22. Trout and Betts were each 27 years old when they signed their respective monster contracts.
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Tatis will join third basemen Manny Machado as the only members of the Padres making more than $300 million. Both Machado and Tatis are represented by agent Dan Lozano. Machado’s agreement with San Diego before the 2019 season gave the organization what they needed to face their rivals: the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Padres came to life during the 2020 abbreviated season, with Tatis playing a big role following his rookie season, which ended due to injury. In fact, Tatis was the best player for the first half of the season, and his talent and personality brought along much-deserved stardom.
In 2020, Tatis finished fourth in MVP voting. He also slashed .277/.366/.571 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs in 59 games. Expect Tatis to only improve as he enters the prime years of his career. At just 22 years old, the future is looking very bright for Tatis and the Padres.
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