When Fernando Tatis Jr. debuted for the San Diego Padres at only 20 years, many in baseball wondered what, exactly, the club was doing using a player with so much team control in the major leagues.
The clock started ticking the minute Tatis stepped on the big league field and began accruing major league service time. A limited window exists for the club to capitalize on a player’s best years before they get too expensive for small-market clubs like San Diego to keep.
But the Padres never intended to let that happen with their star shortstop.