The San Diego Padres this week signed Yuki Matsui to a five-year, $28 million deal, with opt-outs after the third and fourth years and a serious elbow injury clause that can convert the fifth year into a $7 million club option. The first three years of the deal are staggered toward a value of $15 million.
As the deal pushes San Diego nearly $40 million into the luxury tax, Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller talked about the need to spend if the team hopes to contend in the loaded NL West, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego News Tribune:
“Every year, the NL West is one of the most competitive divisions, both in-season and the offseason,” Preller said by phone Saturday evening. “Every year it feels like more talent is always added. It’s just an expectation that you have to be good to come out of the West. Obviously, the ’22 season we get to the LCS. This past year, the Diamondbacks get to the World Series. You got the Giants three years ago winning 108, 109 games and then the Dodgers that have obviously won a lot of division titles. …
“It’s some really good front offices, good ownership groups that are really hungry to win. That’s just kind of known every offseason that … teams are going to try to improve and usually do, and it makes everyone understand that you have to be ready to go at the start of the season.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent more than $1.1 billion with the additions of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the extension given to the newly acquired Tyler Glasnow. The San Francisco Giants spent $113 million on Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and the defending NL champion Diamondbacks have given $122 million to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Eduardo Rodriguez.
It's clear that, if the Padres hope to contend in 2024, they needed to open their checkbook. Fortunately, Preller did exactly that.
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