UNDATED (AP) — The San Diego Padres have locked their top player into a very long-term contract.
Two people familiar with the situation tell The Associated Press that Fernando Tatis Jr. has agreed to a 14-year, $340 million package that will keep the electrifying shortstop with the team until he’s 35 years old. It will be the longest contract signed in MLB history.
Tatis has two years of service and would have been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time next offseason.
In other MLB news:
— Jake Arrieta is returning to the Cubs after finalizing a $6 million, one-year contract that includes an extra $1 million in performance bonuses. And left-hander Tyler Anderson has finalized a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Pirates, where he joins a very young pitching staff.
— Infielder Donovan Solano went to salary arbitration with the Giants on Wednesday, asking for a raise to $3.9 million rather than the team’s $3.25 million offer. The 33-year-old middle infielder hit a career-high .326 with three homers and 29 RBIs in 190 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened season.
— Indians all-time saves leader Cody Allen has announced his retirement on Twitter. The 32-year-old Allen spent seven years with Cleveland and posted three 30-save seasons, including 32 for the 2016 American League champs. He picked up 149 of his big league 153 saves while in an Indians jersey.
— Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says veteran catcher Stephen Vogt received a positive COVID-19 result during intake testing and will miss at least the next 10 days. Pitching prospect Luis Frias tested positive a few days earlier and didn’t practice.
— Athletics catcher Sean Murphy will be sidelined for several weeks with a collapsed lung that required surgery. He is expected to be fully recovered by opening day.
— Twins bench coach Mike Bell has taken an indefinite leave from the team because of kidney cancer. The 46-year-old Bell had surgery to remove the growth last month, shortly after being diagnosed. He’s been recovering at home with his family in Arizona.
— Mets manager Luis Rojas condemned the behavior of former New York hitting performance coordinator Ryan Ellis but said he never witnessed his longtime coworker act inappropriately. Ellis was fired last month after the team reopened an investigation of sexual harassment against him. New allegations and evidence came to light in January.
— Tim Tebow (TEE’-boh) is retiring from baseball after five years and three minor league seasons, all as a Mets outfield prospect. The 33-year-old Tebow spent the 2019 campaign at Triple-A Syracuse and batting .223 with 18 homers and 107 RBIs in 287 minor league games in the Mets system. Over four big league spring trainings, Tebow batted .151 with one home run in 34 games.
