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It was reported on Saturday night that free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer will be joining the NL West as a member of the San Diego Padres, who signed him to an eight-year, $144 million deal as reported by Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller.
Sources: Hosmer to #Padres is for 8 years, opt out after 5, front-loaded deal: $20 million each of first 5 years, $13 mil each of last three years, AAV $18 mil.
— Scott Miller (@ScottMillerBbl) February 18, 2018
Fortunately for the Giants — and the other teams in the NL West — Hosmer comes with a very small sample size in the division. Although he’s a career .441 hitter with three home runs at Petco Park, Hosmer has only played eight games in San Diego over the course of his seven years in the major leagues.
Likewise, aside from the 2014 World Series, where he batted .250 with eight strikeouts, Homser is a career .333 hitter in only two regular season games at AT&T Park.
Nonetheless, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that Hosmer could up his numbers in the NL West now that he’s signed long-term with the Padres. During his seven years with the Kansas City Royals, Hosmer batted .284 with 127 home runs, four Gold Gloves, and an All-Star nomination in 2016.
Hosmer is coming off the best season of his career, batting .318 and tying his career-high 25 home runs while playing in 162 games. His recent success reportedly warranted the Padres to offer him a seven-year, $140 million deal earlier in the offseason, but Hosmer’s patience ultimately paid off.