Padres make 5-year extension with Musgrove official

SAN DIEGO -- A year and a half ago, Joe Musgrove came home. Now, the Padres’ ace has ensured he’ll be staying at home in San Diego for a long, long time.

The Padres and Musgrove on Monday reached a five-year extension that, per a source, is worth $100 million and would keep Musgrove in San Diego through 2027. Shortly after reaching that agreement, Musgrove, with his family on hand, spoke at a press conference on Monday afternoon at Petco Park.

“Me and my dad [were] kind of drawing this thing out back in high school, what it would look like,” said Musgrove, clad in a sharp green suit and white Louis Vuitton sneakers. “It was: Get to the big leagues, try to win a championship. Then come to San Diego and bring the first one here and finish my career here. … I couldn’t be happier.”

Musgrove, a childhood Padres fan born and raised in nearby El Cajon, Calif., has become something of a hometown sensation since his arrival via trade ahead of the 2021 season. He authored the franchise's first no-hitter last April and is now in the midst of perhaps the finest pitching season by a Padres starter since Jake Peavy. (Musgrove, in fact, wears No. 44 in honor of Peavy, his favorite pitcher as a kid.)

Since he first donned that No. 44 in San Diego, Musgrove has elevated his game to a different level. He posted a career-best 3.18 ERA in 32 appearances last season. And he's topped that so far this year, with a 2.65 ERA that earned him his first trip to the All-Star Game.

The Padres and Musgrove were hopeful that a deal would come to fruition before the end of that All-Star break. But the two sides, after months of negotiating, weren’t quite there. Musgrove pointed to his busy schedule at All-Star Week and said he didn’t want to rush the process.

“It has been a little bit of a long road to get to this point, but it was something that both sides were confident in,” Musgrove said. “I really got the feel that they wanted me here, and I think everyone knew that I wanted to be here.”

As Musgrove alluded to, the feeling was, indeed, mutual. The Padres were always hopeful they could keep Musgrove in San Diego.

“The five-year deal, for us, it speaks to Joe being the leader of our pitching staff, and being a guy that Padre fans can count on at the front of our rotation for the rest of his career, hopefully,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said. “With the impact he’s had on our organization and our staff … it’s a great day.”

“Since joining the Padres, Joe has excelled as a pitcher, teammate and respected leader in the San Diego community,” Padres chairman Peter Seidler said in the press release announcing the extension. “I have a great feeling knowing that Joe will be an important and significant part of our organization for many years to come.”

On top of Musgrove’s impact this season -- and his impact in the San Diego community -- the signing is also a huge one for the Padres' rotation stability. They presently boast one of the deepest starting-pitching groups in baseball. But four of those starters -- Musgrove, Sean Manaea, Mike Clevinger and Nick Martinez -- were eligible to hit free agency this winter.

That's no longer the case with Musgrove, who is staying in San Diego for the long haul -- the hometown kid with dreams of bringing the city its first World Series. Not to mention, Musgrove’s extension comes on the same day the Padres traded for closer Josh Hader, further augmenting their chances. And, yes, they remain active on the trade front ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT Deadline.

“That’s the main deciding factor,” Musgrove said. “You want to be somewhere where you have a chance to win and where what you do on the field is going to make an impact for that. They’ve shown very clearly that they’re willing to go out there and do what it takes to win.”

Musgrove was always at the center of that push this year -- and, now, will be for the next half-decade as well.