Padres Ink Wil Myers and Yangervis Solarte to Contract Extensions
Update: The Padres have officially agreed to basic terms with Myers on a six year deal worth $83 million that includes an option year. In additional news, the Padres also have inked Yangervis Solarte to a contract extension through 2018 that also includes club options for 2019 and 2020. For Solarte, the deal will earn him $7.5 million over the next two seasons, and an additional $13.5 million if both team options are picked up.
wil myers & padres are in basic agreement on 6-year deal plus 1 option year. believed to be for $83M. @Ken_Rosenthal on it
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 17, 2017
The #Padres sign Yangervis Solarte to contract through 2018; include club options for 2019-2020: https://t.co/IrZ7QXdNuW pic.twitter.com/0gXfFHR7FY
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) January 14, 2017
San Diego sports fans are begging for any sort of good news. Following the Thursday announcement of the San Diego Chargers officially moving to Los Angeles, San Diego sports fans have been somber. From disbelief to anger to sadness to downright betrayal, Chargers fans have shown the whole range of emotions after the move by the Spanos family out of San Diego.
As if the San Diego Padres knew the city needed some good news, a report appeared on Twitter Friday afternoon claiming the Padres were nearing a massive six-year, $80 million extension for face of the franchise Wil Myers.
Sources: #Padres close to signing Wil Myers to six-year contract for more than $80M. Deal would cover three years of arb, three FA years.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 13, 2017
After the announcement that the Chargers are moving, the prospect of the Padres keeping Wil Myers in town through 2022 is sure to bring San Diego sports fans all sorts of joy. Originally acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team deal that sent Trea Turner and Joe Ross first to Tampa Bay and then to the Washington Nationals, Myers has emerged as the front-runner to be the face of the Padres’ franchise.
Expectations were deservedly high for Myers in his first season in San Diego. However, the season didn’t quite go the way that he, or the Padres, wanted it to go. Moved to center field because of the acquisitions of both Justin Upton and Matt Kemp, Myers struggled defensively. Despite those struggles, Myers still proved himself to be an offensive threat, slashing .253/.336/.427 with a 115 wRC+ over 253 plate appearances. The biggest issue for Myers in 2015 was a lingering wrist injury that cost the young slugger over 100 games on the year.
Going into 2016, it was clear Myers had a lot to prove. Making the full transition to first base following the trade of Yonder Alonso, Myers was once again at a defensive position that he felt comfortable at. With his injury history behind him, Myers excelled, slashing .259/.336/.461 on the season with a career high 28 home runs, and a 3.8 fWAR. Myers had his share of struggles, but he proved that not only could he play first base, but he could hit at a high enough level to be a middle of the order bat that the Padres could count on. Throughout the season it became clear that Myers was the closest thing that the Padres had to an “untouchable” player. It was clear he wasn’t going anywhere, as the Padres saw him as the face of the franchise.
Now going into the 2017 season, Myers is slated for a big payday, and is also slated to lead the young Padres into a new era. With Hunter Renfroe, Manuel Margot, and Austin Hedges set to play big roles on the 2017 team, and many other young prospects not far behind, Myers could be the leader of the next great Padres team. With the departure of the San Diego Chargers, Padres fans need all the good news they can get. Keeping Wil Myers in San Diego is just what the doctor ordered.
Editorial and Prospect Writer for East Village Times. Twenty-five years young, Patrick has lived in San Diego for his entire life and has been a Padres fan nearly as long. Patrick lives for baseball and is always looking to learn new things about the game he loves through advanced stats.
This is great news. After the Herrera and Inciarte extensions, I was hoping for a little less money going his way, but if he continues on his upward trajectory, this will be a great deal for the Padres. Now we all have to hope that the pressure of being the face of the franchise doesn’t get to him.