Fernando Tatis Jr. suspended for 80 games
And, just like that, Fernando Tatis Jr. is no longer a beacon of hope for the San Diego Padres. He's a disappointment.
Did I want to be writing this? Of course not. It’s Saturday and I’m on vacation, but the face of the San Diego Padres franchise isn’t going to play a single game this year and probably tarnished his legacy forever and that, I suppose, is worth writing something about.
This is just a crushing blow to the San Diego Padres, who have been openly dreaming about a Tatis-Soto-Machado-Bell top four in their lineup since the second the MLB trade deadline passed (and now, probably won’t get the chance to see it, with Bell being a free agent after this season). The team still has plenty of offensive firepower to make the playoffs and be competitive when they get there, but they’re not longer the giant that leaves the rest of baseball quaking in their boots.
On a side note, because I don’t see it mentioned in those Jeff Passan tweets…
So, quick recap.
Fernando Tatis Jr. had one of the greatest seasons in Padres history last year while battling through a shoulder injury. Then, against the team’s wishes, he decided against getting shoulder surgery. This was after the Padres signed him to the longest and richest contract in team history.
During the offseason, he had a motorcycle accident that he (and his family) tried hard to cover up. Months later, the team discovered that he broke his wrist in the motorcycle accident and that it didn’t heal properly (probably because he tried to hide it), leading to a wrist surgery right before the start of the regular season.
Now, after a delayed recovery from the wrist surgery, he’s out for the rest of this season and postseason and some of next year too. Even more than that, he doesn’t get to represent his country in a once-every-four-years event that seems tailor-made for his game and personality.
I’ve spent this morning digging through some quotes from other players on the team and members of the front office and…..they are not being shy about how they feel about Tatis anymore. Not just questions about his maturity, but flat our stating that he is lacking in maturity and needs to figure his shit out if he wants to get right with his teammates and employer.
If I were searching for a silver lining, I would say that maybe he needed a wake up call of this magnitude and we were always going to bump into something of this magnitude in the early parts of his career. Maybe he will take seriously the task of trying to win everyone over again, and trying to repair his legacy, once he gets back. What he does between now and then is anyone’s guess.
If I were being fearful, I would be worried about what might happen if the team looks to recoup some of that money that they’ve promised to pay Tatis. Hopefully, it doesn’t get messy.