The past few years have certainly made it seem like we’re living in a golden age of shortstops.
First 22-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr., then with 143 big-league games under his belt, signed a 14-year, $340 million extension with the San Diego Padres. It was the third-largest contract in Major League Baseball history. That lasted a month before it was surpassed by Francisco Lindor’s 10-year, $341 million extension with the New York Mets signed on the eve of Opening Day 2021.
Lindor’s long-term commitment preemptively took one of the top players at the position off the free-agent market.