PEORIA, Ariz. -- Eric Hosmer arrived at San Diego Padres camp Tuesday with a new uniform number, a desire to lead and a personal mandate to take the franchise to a place it's never been.
Hosmer, 28, landed the biggest guaranteed payout of the MLB offseason when he agreed to an eight-year, $144 million deal with San Diego on Saturday. The contract, which includes a fifth-year opt-out, easily surpasses the four-year, $75 million deal for pitcher James Shields that previously set the standard for a Padres' free agent.
Hosmer said he is ready to embrace a leadership role for the Padres, who haven't been to the playoffs since 2006 or logged a winning record since 2010 and have lost the only two World Series appearances since their inception in 1969.