From the Izidoro residence in Mission Valley – Oh Happy Day

My friend Nate and I went to Game 2 vs. Cleveland on Tuesday night, we started that day at McGregor’s Bar in Mission Valley, knocked back a couple “Padres Punches”, hit the Green Line towards the Gaslamp, knocked back a few more during the Season Ticket Member Happy Hour, and got to see Michael King absolutely shove 11 Ks against the Guardians from Row 1 of Section 128.

King’s performance gave me some 2007 Jake Peavy flashbacks, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We ended up at The Field on Fifth Ave. for a few more, before we headed back on the Green Line to Mission Valley. By the way… make sure you hit the trolley in the large groups of folks coming from the Padres game. Once that crowd disperses, the sketchier and stankier that ride gets; I digress…

Needless to say I was not at full brain capacity on Wednesday morning. So it took a big glass of bedside-water and a couple of squints of my eyes to realize WE JUST SIGNED JACKSON MERRILL TO A 9-YEAR EXTENSION!

The perfect guy to give an extension to. Not because he should’ve been the N.L. Rookie of the Year, not because he’s only 21-years-old and one of the game’s rising phenoms, and not because his play on the field warrants an extension. It’s because he doesn’t care about any of that stuff.

He is the definition of a baller, when we try to interview him and ask him about ROTY awards, or some cool play or home run he hit, he couldn’t care less. All that matters to him, is did the Friars win that day?

That’s how most veterans act, or at the very least, how most veterans have been told how to act before the media. It’s a good way to give the media a soundbite or quote for them to report on, without giving them some big headline from you actually speaking your mind about how you actually feel. Many players do this, in fact I would say most tend to operate this way.

But whenever I hear Jackson reply in this manner…you can tell he means it. The others reply very monotone, you can almost hear them walking the P.R. tight rope. Where Jackson says it so matter-of-factly, with no hesitation, to the point that it strikes you as the absolute truth.

The dude isn’t out here for the accolades or the spotlight, he’s just trying to ball out for the team that drafted him.

I feel like most players feel that way about the team that gave them the opportunity to play in the big leagues; but how many are willing to put pen to paper, and take probably less than what they could’ve made on the open market, so that they can be a part of a winning team and help that team spend on more players to compete for a championship?

Now it’s not like he’s making chump change out there, Merrill will be making $15 million/year for the next 9 years. Also, without the extension, Merrill was set to make less than a million for the next two seasons, before having to go through possible arbitration for the next three seasons, all while still having to play at an elite level to warrant a payday once he was able to test free agency in 2030. That $15 million/year gets money in his pocket right now, while avoiding the terrible roller coaster that is the MLB rookie deal and free agency route. But in the day and age where Juan Soto is making over $60 million/year, a young phenom like Merrill deciding to take far less than that speaks volumes about who he is.

The core position players of this Padres team are now set for the foreseeable future.

Padres Top Players Under Contract:

Fernando Tatis Jr., age 26 – Thru 2034, age 35

Jackson Merrill, age 21 – Thru 2035 (Club Option), age 32

Manny Machado, age 32 – Thru 2033, age 40

Xander Bogaerts, age 32 – Thru 2033, age 40

Jake Cronenworth, age 31 – Thru 2030, age 36

As a 90s child, it still feels weird typing anything “2030”, and it’s equally as weird that the Padres have 5 All-Star players under contract into the 2030s. If all goes to plan, Petco will have a lot more statues to build by the end of the 2030s.

7-0

How the hell did we pull this off against two postseason baseball teams? Especially the Braves and Guardians, who usually have a playstyle that grinds down their opponents, to the point where they will at least pickup one game in any series they plan in.

Seven!

It’s still so incredible that the Padres achieved this record by playing the most well-rounded baseball in MLB right now.

Dominant Starting Pitching – check

Dominant Bullpen – check

Top of the Order is Mashing – Check, Check

Bottom of the Order is possibly overperforming – Check, Check

Defense has been top notch and flying around the field – Four “Hang-a-Stars in 7 Games” & multiple heads up double plays, Check

Aggressive Baserunning – Even Manny and Bogey have a bunch of free bags, Super Check.

I don’t care one bit that the Dodgers haven’t lost a game yet. They’ve had some great walk-offs already, but they are not playing the way the Padres are playing right now. The Brown & Yellow are playing with a confidence that they can actually go 162-0. As ridiculous as that sounds, that’s their mindset, win every single game because they know they can.

What a time to be a Padres fan. Drink it in, and pour one out for those that didn’t make it to witness this.

7 Down, 155 to go. Bring on Wrigley Field, and a minor league park in Sacramento for some reason.

Cheers