Fernando Tatis Jr. contract extension not coming until after season?

The San Diego Padres may want to give Fernando Tatis Jr. a contract extension, but that may not come until after the season, according to a report.

MLB reporter Jon Heyman said on Friday that a contract extension is more likely to come after the season, and that San Diego is concentrating on this season for now.

While Fernando Tatis Sr. suggested the Padres could give his superstar son a long deal “very soon,” it seems more likely that talk may come after the season. Padres seem to be concentrating on the season at moment.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 15, 2020

This is different from what Tatis’ father previously said.

The Padres have every reason to prioritize an extension for Tatis Jr. He is a superstar in the making, and the more he accomplishes, the more expensive he theoretically can become. The other side to the situation, though, is that delaying the matter will allow time to see what shapes up economically throughout the country.

MLB teams are not bringing in anywhere near the same amount of revenue as usual due to the lack of fan attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic. Teams probably will want to know more about how things will look in the future before committing large chunks of money ahead. The lone exception was what the Dodgers did with Mookie Betts, and that’s because something may have been in the works there previously.

Tatis, 21, is batting .305/.374/.671 this season and has shown big power, which carries extra value since he’s a shortstop.