When the San Diego Padres drafted Jackson Merrill in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft there was a great story told about the scouting of Merrill by Padres general manager and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. That story was retold when Merrill signed his contract extension in 2025. Preller, in an attempt not to give away to other scouts his intent, tried to watch Merrill from the bleachers of a football stadium next to where the baseball game was being played. He got caught and then had to try and keep his true intent secret while gracefully talking his way out of the situation.

In the deal Preller made to bring in superstar outfielder Juan Soto, Merrill was intentionally left out. He seemed to be the one “untouchable” in the San Diego system that would not be part of the package.

When Merrill came to Padres Spring Training in February of 2024 he was a shortstop. He had been a shortstop all through his professional and high school career. The Padres had a shortstop, and Xander Bogaerts had been signed to a huge multi-year deal to play that position. At the start of workouts in Peoria, Preller and the Padres staff approached Merrill about learning to play the outfield, initially left field before he eventually settled in center field. He was willing and learned the position on the fly throughout that spring. At the end of Spring Training, Manny Machado and other Padres veterans approached the Padres coaching staff and Preller to lobby on behalf of Merrill to make the opening day roster…. as the centerfielder.

The 2024 season was a massive success for Jackson Merrill, the centerfielder. He played in 156 games with a .292/.326/.500 batting line and a .826 OPS. He hit 24 homers with 90 RBI and finished the season with a 4.4 WAR, a Silver Slugger Award, an All-Star selection and a second place finish to Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes for Rookie the Year.

Preller began trying to sign Merrill to a long-term contract before his breakout rookie season. Although unsuccessful at first, he kept trying. In April of 2025, barely into the new season, the Padres announced a nine-year, $135 million contract extension for Merrill. It included a $10 million signing bonus spread out over four years with $1 million in 2025 and $3 million in 2026, 2027 and 2028 as well as escalators over time and with plate appearances and top five MVP finishes. The Padres have a team option for 2035, and Merrill can play that into a player option. All-in-all, it could be a 10-year deal for $204 million.

Although the 2025 season was frustrating and injury-filled for Merrill, there is little doubt in most corners of MLB that he will bounce back this season. Going into his age 23 season, Merrill can work to carry the momentum he built at the end of 2025 when he was finally healthy. In his final 158 plate appearances, Merrill hit nine homers and 11 doubles and had a max exit velocity of 110.4 mph. Over his last 30 games, he hit .289/.325/.623 with a .948 OPS.

With just a little bit of luck and a normal Spring Training, Merrill could be the face of this franchise by the end of this season. When MLB Network ranked their best centerfielders for 2025, Merrill ranked second by their analytic assessment and was chosen first by program host, Brian Kenney.

While fans watch the massive contracts being awarded in free agency this offseason, Padres fans need to recognize that we have a one-in-a-million player in Merrill. Carrying five tools and a desire to win as well as leadership qualities and loyalty to his teammates and the city, Merrill can evoke memories of Tony Gwynn for fans.

Gwynn turned down bigger money in free agency, despite the urging of his father, and accepted a below-market deal to stay in San Diego and be a Padre (six-year, $4.6 million contract in 1985 and three-year, $12.25 million contract in 1991). It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out that Merrill could have waited until later in his career to sign an extension and gotten significantly more. Or he could have played out his arbitration years and signed a huge free agent contract. He chose to sign early, stating his desire to play in San Diego for the rest of his career and stating how grateful he was for the faith that Preller and the Padres had in him.

Merrill is a unicorn in modern baseball. While playing for one team for an entire career is rare, there is a chance Padres fans could see that with Merrill. He will be 33 if he plays out the entire contract. There could definitely be much more for him to do after that, but let’s hope that he has great success as a Padre for many years to come and finishes here, in San Diego, as he wishes.

I think Tony Gwynn would approve.