The San Diego Padres and Jake Cronenworth have reached an agreement on a seven-year, $80 million extension according to Jeff Passan. Cronenworth was scheduled to hit free agency in 2025, which means the Padres will now keep him in town for an extra five years.
The physical has already been passed and is expected to be announced by the team on Saturday. Per Passan, this is the richest contract ever given to a player of Cronenworth’s age (29) and service time (fewer than four years). Jake Cronenworth arrived on the scene in 2020 and has proved to be a valuable piece to the Padres. During the Covid-19 shortened season, the now 29-year-old ranked second in National League Rookie of the Year rankings.
He has played in 366 games since joining the Padres as part of a December 2019 trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that also included Tommy Pham, Hunter Renfroe, and Xavier Edwards. Cronenworth has batted .255/.337/.429 (117 OPS+) with 42 home runs and 10 stolen bases in that time. With his defensive contributions, he’s estimated by Baseball Reference to have accumulated 10.5 Wins Above Replacement.
Not only has he contributed to the team, but he can play at Second Base, Shortstop and First Base. In four years, he has become a fan favorite.
Dating back to the start of the offseason, Cronenworth is the seventh player to receive a long-term deal with the Padres. General Manager A.J. Preller signed lengthy deals with Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Robert Suarez and Michael Wacha. They still have some notable players that they could attempt to extend including Opening Day starter Blake Snell and Outfielder Juan Soto.
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