Report: Myers willing to move to OF if Padres sign Hosmer
The face of the San Diego Padres is ready to switch positions if it will help bring another All-Star into the fold.
Wil Myers, the Padres' one-time All-Star first baseman and their highest-paid position player, reportedly told the team he's ready and willing to move to the outfield in 2018 and beyond if they're able to lure free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer to San Diego, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
A positional switch for Myers would come just one winter after he signed the largest contract in Padres history - a six-year, $83-million extension that includes large amounts of backloaded money. The Padres will pay Myers just $2 million next year and $3 million in 2019, but his salary will then jump to $20 million in each of the contract's final three seasons.
Myers began his career as an outfielder with the Tampa Bay Rays, but poor defense prompted the Padres to shift him to the infield midway through the 2015 season. The 26-year-old's last reps as an outfielder came during his 2016 All-Star campaign when he made just 10 appearances at both corner outfield spots.
San Diego began 2017 with a minuscule $69.6-million payroll, and has little history of dishing out large contracts save for Myers' deal. Hosmer, who's represented by Scott Boras, is reportedly seeking a massive contract that could fall in the seven- or eight-year range and possibly near the $200-million mark in total value, per Heyman. Signing Hosmer would also require San Diego - which is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild - to surrender draft-pick compensation to the Kansas City Royals.
But, despite all of those factors appearing to work against them, the Padres are apparently pushing ahead in their pursuit of Hosmer. According to Heyman, they view the 28-year-old as a perfect fit thanks to his leadership abilities and history of playing for winning teams in Kansas City.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox have also been connected to Hosmer this winter, while the Royals are reportedly still hoping to re-sign him to a long-term deal.