The San Diego Padres have locked down their centre fielder for the foreseeable future. According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, the San Diego Padres and outfielder Jackson Merrill have agreed to a nine-year contract extension worth $135 million that will start in 2026. Murray reports that the deal can be worth up to $204 million and includes a $30 million club option that can convert into a player option for an additional tenth season.

Merrill’s contract buys out one year of pre-arbitration and three years of arbitration while keeping him in San Diego through 2034, when he will be 31 years old. The contract covers five years of free agency and an additional sixth if the option goes through.

Other terms of the contract have yet to be released, and Merrill will be making $809,500 this season (per Spotrac) before the deal kicks in next year.

A first-round pick of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Severn Park, Maryland, Merrill has quickly transformed into one of the game’s brightest stars since making his Major League debut last season. In his rookie year, the lefty-batter authored a .292/.326/500 slash line with 31 doubles, six triples, and 24 home runs en route to 90 RBIs and a .826 OPS. His 5.3 fWAR ranked 15th in the Major Leagues last year and second behind only Aaron Judge for centre fielders, and Merrill earned an All-Star nomination, a Silver Slugger Award, and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting (behind right-hander Paul Skenes). In the postseason, he went 3 for 7 in the NL Wild Card against Atlanta before putting up just three hits through 17 at-bats in the NLDS against the Dodgers.

Defensively, Merrill spent all of last season in centre field, compiling a zero DRS with a .993 fielding percentage. He led the NL in outfield assists (eight) and contributed to four double plays, which led all centre fielders in 2024.

Through six games this season, Merrill continues to swing a hot bat, collecting eight hits through 20 at-bats while contributing a double and a home run to go with six RBIs.

With this latest deal, Merrill joins Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Boaegerts, and Jake Cronenworth as Padres with long-term deals through the 2029 season.