The San Diego Padres have locked up a cornerstone of their future, signing star outfielder Jackson Merrill to a nine-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $135 million

The San Diego Padres signed outfielder Jackson Merrill to a nine-year, $135 million contract extension Wednesday morning.

MLB player prop bets and odds for Jackson Merrill on Friday, April 4, 2025, as the San Diego Padres take on the Chicago Cubs.

Off to the best start in franchise history, the Padres finalized a nine-year contract extension with Jackson Merrill on Wednesday morning. Before they even took the field, it was a storybook opening homestand.

Dave Schoenfield and Alden Gonzalez discuss the Padres extending Jackson Merrill's contract.

Jackson Merrill and Luis Arraez homered, and Fernando Tatis Jr. stole home as the Padres beat Cleveland 5-2 to start the 2025 season at 7-0.

Merrill arrived at Peoria for his first taste of a major league baseball camp. Immediately, Padres manager Mike Shildt asked him to move to the outfield. Merrill was primarily a shortstop in the minors,

But the best comparison as a ballplayer and competitor — and here me out here — is a young Derek Jeter. In Merrill, who signed a nine-year contract extension with the club on Wednesday, the Padres have themselves a mature young dude and gifted baseball rat who’s more concerned about winning the day or night’s game than anything else relating to his job.

Quite a season-opening homestand in San Diego, huh? The Padres put the cherry on top of the best start to a season in franchise history by signing Jackson Merrill to a nine-year extension on Wednesday.