Report: Padres to buck trend, open with Fernando Tatis Jr in big leagues

The San Diego Padres will be bucking a trend in their handling of a talented young play, according to a report.

The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported on Tuesday that the Padres plan to open the season with Fernando Tatis Jr. on the big league roster.

Source: Fernando Tatis Jr. will be on the Padres’ Opening Day roster. If any GM was going to do something like this, A.J. Preller seemed like the one.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) March 27, 2019

This is a surprise because many teams manipulate the service time of young talented players by having them begin a season in the minors for a few weeks before bringing them up. The reward for the club is that they get an extra season of team control on the player because it delays their six-year clock to free agency.

The Padres probably feel they want to field their most competitive team from day 1 since they’re trying to win and make the playoffs. It should be a no-brainer that all teams do this, but many don’t, which is due to a flaw in the game’s CBA. Maybe the Padres will be rewarded for this by Tatis signing with them long-term or them making the playoffs.