Report: Padres mulled 6-year, $120M deal for Hosmer

The San Diego Padres aren't going to give Eric Hosmer the $200-million contract Scott Boras is thought to be seeking for the 28-year-old first baseman, but the club does seem willing to give him a nine-figure deal.

As of the winter meetings, the Padres were prepared to pay Hosmer roughly $120 million over six years, according to executives who spoke with ESPN's Buster Olney, though apparently there isn't a consensus within the organization as to whether his career trajectory aligns with their timeline to compete.

That internal schism notwithstanding, the Padres reportedly emerged earlier this month as the favorite to sign Hosmer, and two industry sources indicated last week that the club was expected to intensify its efforts to sign him with Christmas looming.

Related - Report: Myers willing to move to OF if Padres sign Hosmer

Outside of the Padres, no team has been strongly linked to Hosmer of late. Heading into the offseason, the Boston Red Sox were widely expected to pursue him, but the reigning American League East champion decided to stick with Mitch Moreland at first base, re-signing him to a two-year deal last week. In November, the St. Louis Cardinals reportedly reached out to Hosmer, though it's not clear how serious those discussions were, while the Kansas City Royals - who selected Hosmer with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft and watched him turn into a franchise stalwart over the last seven years - are said to be discouraged about their chances of bringing him back.

Hosmer, who turned down a qualifying offer from the Royals, is coming off his best season to date, but hasn't been consistent throughout his career. This past year, after performing at a sub-replacement level in 2016, Hosmer set career highs in WAR (4.1), batting average (.318), OPS (.882), isolated power (.179), and wRC+ (135) while notching 25 homers over 162 games. All told, over the last five seasons, Hosmer has been the 11th-most valuable first baseman in the majors, behind the likes of Carlos Santana (who signed a three-year, $60-million with the Philadelphia Phillies last week) and Brandon Belt.