After a standout rookie season, the San Diego Padres have decided to make sure Jackson Merrill is part of their long-term future.
On Wednesday, the Padres announced they have signed Merrill to a nine-year, $135 million contract extension. Robert Murray of FanSided was the first to report details of the agreement, which he says can be worth up to $204 million and includes a $30 million club option for a tenth season. Heading into the season, the Padres current payroll ranks ninth in the majors at $208.9 million, according to figures compiled by USA TODAY.
Merrill, 21, was a first-round draft pick by the Padres in 2021 as a shortstop, but was moved to center field last spring because the club already had a pair of veteran middle infielders in Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim. Learning a new position on the fly (so to speak), Merrill excelled in the field — ranking sixth among all center fielders last season in Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric (+11).
He also had an excellent season at the plate, winning a Silver Slugger award after hitting .292 with 24 home runs and 90 RBI.
Merrill was named to the National League All-Star team and finished second in the rookie of the year balloting to the Pirates’ Paul Skenes.
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