Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

‘You Can’t Just Sign for $700M and Want Everything to Be Perfect’ – Jackson Merrill Takes Dig at Juan Soto Amid Extension

Jackson Merrill signed a $135M extention with the Padres.

Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have secured their future with a nine-year, $135 million contract extension for Jackson Merrill, one of baseball’s brightest young stars. The deal, which includes a club option for 2035, underscores the Padres’ confidence in their 21-year-old center fielder, who has quickly emerged as a cornerstone of their roster.

Merrill’s 2025 season is off to a torrid start. He is hitting .400 with six RBIs, building on a rookie campaign in which he finished as a National League Rookie of the Year finalist and posted an impressive 4.4 bWAR. More importantly, his production has helped propel the Padres to a perfect 7-0 start.

ALSO READ: Jackson Merrill Extension: Padres Lock 21-Year-Old All-Star to Nine-Year, $135 Million Deal

However, it wasn’t just Merrill’s on-field performance that drew attention following his extension. During his press conference announcing the deal, Merrill appeared to take a not-so-subtle jab at former Padres star Juan Soto, who spent a season in San Diego before being traded to the New York Yankees. After leading the Yankees to their first World Series appearance since 2009, only to fall to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Soto signed a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets, the largest deal in professional sports history.

When asked about his commitment to San Diego, Merrill emphasized the importance of team chemistry and loyalty. “I know there are contracts out there that are beyond absurd, but having a relationship with a real human being and a real team like I have here—you can’t beat that,” Merrill said. “You know, you can’t just sign for $700 million and want everything to be perfect.”

Merrill throwing a lil shade at Soto lmao pic.twitter.com/gp8ObXVZiL
— fried friar (@PadresFoo) April 2, 2025

While Merrill and Soto never played together at the major league level, their paths crossed within the Padres organization in 2022 and 2023. Merrill’s comments suggest some lingering frustration over Soto’s departure, implying that the superstar’s decision to chase the largest contract available may have come at the expense of team culture and continuity.

Meanwhile, Soto’s transition to the Mets has been anything but seamless. New York has stumbled out of the gates with a 3-3 record, and early-season concerns are mounting over the performance of several key players, particularly within their rotation.

Jackson Merrill

Juan Soto

Mets

Padres

Mohsin Baldiwala

mlb

Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.