Padres lock up Wil Myers to $83M, 6-year deal

First baseman Wil Myers and the San Diego Padres have finalized an $83 million, six-year contract, the largest deal in the team's history.

The 26-year-old Myers hit 28 homers and drove in 94 runs last season and also stole 28 bases.

"He's got all sorts of potential," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said on a conference call. "He can be the nucleus of championship-type team."

Myers, who had been eligible for salary arbitration, receives a $15 million signing bonus, of which $1 million is payable within 15 days of the deal's approval by the commissioner's office, $5.5 million on Nov. 15, 2018, and $8.5 million on Nov. 15, 2019.

He gets salaries of $2 million apiece in the next two seasons, $3 million in 2019 and $20 million in each of the final three years. San Diego has a $20 million team option for 2023 with a $1 million buyout. Myers gets a suite on road trips and would get a one-time $1 million assignment bonus if traded.

"Hopefully you're buying the prime years of Wil's career," Preller said. "You need some core pieces that are going to be there."

"Our plan is we try to invest in guys we think are going to be here for the future. There is going to have to be some patience. There are going to be some young guys on the field this year. It's going to be fun to see how that group grows together in the next few years," he said.​

Myers would have been eligible for free agency after the 2019 season. The deal tops a $75 million, four-year contract pitches James Shields signed before the 2015 season.