Fernando Tatis Jr. Tells Tony Gwynn Jr. He Wants a Statue Next to His Dad

Fernando Tatis Jr. officially signed his massive, 14-year contract with the San Diego Padres on Monday, and throughout the afternoon he explained why he agreed to it. At one point, while being interviewed on Fox Sports San Diego, Tatis told Tony Gwynn Jr. that he signed such a long-deal because he wanted to build his legacy and eventually have a statue built next to Gwynn's father.

Here's the segment:

That's quite a moment. Tatis telling Tony Jr. that he wants a statue next to the great Tony Gwynn, who was and still is known as Mr. Padre.

Tatis' deal has shocked baseball. At 22, he's getting $340 million, but that isn't the craziest part. He signed the 14-year contract and put no opt-outs in the deal. On Monday, Padres general manager A.J. Preller revealed the team originally offered a 12-year package, but Tatis wanted the deal to cover his entire career. He wants to be in San Diego and nowhere else.

Here's what Preller said about the contract process:

While Tatis now owns the third-largest contract in MLB history, that doesn't mean he's ready to start picking up the check at team dinners yet. He told the Gwynn & Co. that's still Manny Machado's job:

Tatis' time for picking up tabs will come soon enough.