Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres agree to longest deal in MLB history

As MLB looks to build up a new generation of baseball fans in the 2020s, the San Diego Padres are reportedly making sure that those following the sport won’t see their superstar elsewhere at any point in the next decade.

Per The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee, the Padres and Tatis agreed to a 14-year contract on Wednesday, February 17, just a few months before the start of the 2021 season.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and the Padres have agreed on a 14-year contract.

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) February 18, 2021

The deal, which is the longest in MLB history, will tie the 22-year-old Tatis to the team until he’s 35 years old, and will reportedly pay him more than $300 million, per The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal.

Tatis, who has played in just 143 games since 2019, has a .301 career average with 168 hits, 98 RBI and 39 home runs.

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He finished fourth in National League MVP voting in his true rookie campaign in 2020, and earned the honor of representing the league as the cover star for “MLB The Show 21,” being marketed as the “new face of baseball.”

For reference, Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. inked an eight-year, $100 million contract as a 21-year-old in 2019, while Los Angeles Angels star and multi-time American League MVP Mike Trout got a six-year, $144 million deal as a 22-year-old in 2014.

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Per The Athletic’s Lin, the Padres “are hoping to make the deal official” the weekend of February 20-21.

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