Padres’ blueprint with Jackson Merrill sparks copycat move in Boston

In April, the Padres signed Jackson Merrill to a contract extension, giving the team control of their star center fielder through 2036. Before the $135 million deal, the then 21-year-old had been slated to hit free agency in 2029. With the new deal, Merrill avoids arbitration and will be under team control for a long while.

On the same day as Merrill, the Boston Red Sox did the same with rookie Kristian Campbell, signing him to an eight-year extension worth $60 million despite having played only five career games. Craig Breslow has one of his future stars locked up for the foreseeable future.

Red Sox continue using Padres as blueprint to extend young stars long-term

Fast forward to August, and the Red Sox pulled the same move on Roman Anthony, signing the star outfielder to an eight-year, $130 million extension—a deal that is almost identical to the one that Merrill received.

A.J. Preller took this move out of the Atlanta Braves’ book—the team that started it all with deals like this. Atlanta signed Ronald Acuña Jr. to an eight-year, $100 million contract back in 2019, and it has given the team much more payroll flexibility.

That is the same hope for the Padres, as they currently have players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts who are eating up a lot of the team’s payroll. So, having Merrill on a deal like this will obviously give the Padres much more financial leeway to add to what is an already potent roster.

Boston and San Diego should be thrilled that they have their young talent on deals like this, because it doesn’t always pan out that way for teams. Players often decline deals like these in hopes of raising their value on their rookie deals, thereby raising their market value for when they hit free agency.

Pete Crow-Armstrong on the Cubs is a perfect example of this, turning down a $75 million extension in May and choosing to “bet on himself.” This is a high-risk/high-reward choice for some players, as their value could tank tremendously or rise exponentially.

Both A.J. Preller and Craig Breslow should be thrilled that they locked down their young talent for the future. Now it's a waiting game to see whether time will tell if it pays off.