Jake Cronenworth will be a San Diego Padre well into his 30s after agreeing to sign a seven-year, $80 million extension with the franchise, The Athletic's Dennis Lin reported on Saturday.
The infielder is currently earning $4.225 million in 2023, and has already passed his physical, with the new deal expected to be announced on Saturday. It's the biggest deal ever for a player his age with less than four years of service, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
It's Cronenworth's fourth season with the Padres, and it looks like he will remain in California for over the first decade of his career. The 29-year-old slashed .239/.332/.390 with 17 long balls and 88 RBIs last season, being named to his second consecutive National League All-Star Game.
The Michigan native was newly eligible for arbitration in the offseason, and avoided a hearing by agreeing to a one-year, $4.225 million contract in January. Now he'll be getting paid much more than that to remain with one of the baseball's best teams.
“The Padres are getting some cost certainty as they consider how to balance a slew of financial commitments. In Cronenworth, they’re adding another infielder to their list of long-term fixtures,” wrote Lin on Saturday. “Third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Xander Bogaerts had already signed deals that will take them past their 40th birthdays.”
Jake Cronenworth gives the Padres a solid bat and infield flexibility; he can play second base, first base and shortstop, and the organization places additional value on his work ethic, baseball IQ and ability to lead by example, per Lin.
The team has already extended Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Machado, Robert Suarez and Nick Martinez to extensions since last summer. The contracts keep rolling in San Diego, and Cronenworth is the latest to cash in.
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