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The San Diego Padres have gotten off to a strong start to the 2025 MLB season, currently sitting at 7-2 after recently dropping to road games to the Chicago Cubs. Jackson Merrill has picked up right where he left off a season ago, continuing to look like one of the brightest young stars in the sport after making the All-Star team during his first season in the big leagues.
Merrill was rewarded for his efforts on the 2024 season with a massive nine-year, $135 million extension this past offseason, but that didn't stop some from advising him against taking the offer, according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, who recently labeled the deal as the most team-friendly contract in the sport.
“The idea of Merrill averaging just $15 million a year had lawyers from the players union strongly advising him to reject the offer,” reported Nightengale.
While $135 million is certainly life-altering money by almost any measure, it's worth considering what Merrill could have netted for himself if he had followed those lawyers' advice and waited for a new offer.
A strong start for the Padres
After their narrow loss to the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in last year's postseason, the Padres got off to a strong start to the 2025 campaign, sweeping both the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Guardians to get things started before ultimately dropping two games to the Chicago Cubs in their first road action of the year.
The Padres have spent heavily to put together one of the most star-loaded rosters in baseball, and for the most part, those stars have delivered so far in 2025, just as they did down the stretch of the 2024 campaign.
However, due to his impressive resume at the ripe age of 21, perhaps there's no one in the organization that the Padres are more excited about than Merrill, who became the first rookie in team history to make the All-Star team last year.
In any case, the Padres will conclude their series against the Cubs on Sunday afternoon.
