The Giants are going to have to get comfortable facing Fernando Tatís Jr. for the next … 14 years.
The San Diego Padres have agreed to a 14-year, $340 million extension with the star shortstop, FanSided’s Robert Murray reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the deal.
Back in January, NBC Sports Bay Area reported that the Padres had been discussing a deal to extend Tatís and was told the team was willing to pay in the $300 million range and wanted to do so before New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had hit the open market.
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Lindor is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2021 season.
So Giants fans, get used to seeing Tatís around the NL West for a very long time. The 22-year-old will be 35 by the time his contract runs out, after the 2034(!) season. The Padres have surrounded Tatis with a strong roster, one that the Giants will have to compete with for many years to come.
But the Padres model is something the Giants hope to emulate in the not-so distance future, as the Giants might have their own future star of Tatís’ caliber in shortstop Marco Luciano.
Luciano, 19, is one of the best shortstop prospects in the game, with power that makes him stand out and he hasn’t even filled his body out yet. He even was said to “one day join Padres’ Fernando Tatís Jr. as a second Dominican superstar shortstop in the NL West,” according to Baseball America’s scouting report.
San Francisco Giants
Luciano hit .322/.438/.616 with Giants Orange Rookie team in 2019 with 10 home runs in 38 games. The Giants could, and should, hope to take a page from the Padres' playbook as they try to compete with the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers for NL West supremacy.
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This is beyond deserved for Tatís Jr., who has the numbers to prove he’s worthy of this money. He has put up an impressive slash line.301/.374/.582 with a .956 OPS over the last two seasons with the Padres. But he also possesses the star quality MLB desperately needs in the game.
Expect other shortstops to take notice.