SAN DIEGO — A year and a half ago, Joe Musgrove came home. Now it appears Musgrove could be set to stay at home in San Diego for the next half decade.
The Padres and Musgrove are close to a five-year extension, sources told MLB.com on Friday. The club has not confirmed the deal and it isn’t expected to be finalized imminently. But the contract extension talks appear to be nearing a conclusion. Per a source, that deal would be in the vicinity of $100 million and keep Musgrove in San Diego through 2027.
Throughout the process, Musgrove has declined comment on the negotiations, preferring to keep his focus on the season at hand. But he spoke with reporters following the team’s 10-1 victory over the Twins on Friday night at Petco Park, noting, “We’re definitely the closest we’ve been throughout the whole process, but I wouldn’t say it’s done yet.”
That said, there’s clearly motivation for Musgrove to get it done.
“I’d be very excited,” Musgrove said of a potential extension. “When I first came here, just the idea of staying in San Diego was enough for me. Just to play in my hometown, with my family, my friends, get to experience all the things that I dreamed of as a kid and get to live that out.
“The longer I’ve spent here, it’s become more about the people that are in the room and the staff and the growth that I’m making here.”
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 2.63 mark 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.
“I’ve been excited about the whole thing, and it’s been relatively easy,” said Musgrove, who is slated to start against the Twins on Saturday night. “My goal is: I’m focusing on pitching. The better I pitch, the better a position I put myself in. If a deal comes along the way, even better.”
The signing would be 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 — are eligible to hit free agency this winter.
That’s no longer the case with Musgrove, who appears to now be staying in San Diego for the long haul — the hometown kid with dreams of bringing the city its first World Series.
“Ultimately,” Musgrove said earlier this month, “the goal is to get into the postseason and to finish the whole thing on top.”
Musgrove will be at the center of that push this year – and perhaps for next half-decade as well.