After his breakout rookie season in 2024, it was not a matter of if Jackson Merrill would sign a contract extension with the San Diego Padres. It was a matter of when.
And on Wednesday, the time arrived.
The Padres and Merrill are in agreement on a nine-year, $135 million extension that begins in 2026 and could reach $204 million with incentives and escalators, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports. The deal secures one of MLB’s brightest young stars with the Friars for the next decade.
Merrill, now 21, burst onto the scene last season, showing not only that he could hold his own as a major-league center fielder but also that he was already a superstar at the age of 20.