No reason to sugarcoat it: The Padres are not paying Fernando Tatis Jr. $340 million with the unprecedented security of a 14-year contract for partial seasons. Yet, that's what they're getting.
The wince-worthy news that Tatis is likely to undergo surgery for a fractured left wrist as the Padres try to thread the needle on a singular competitive window dropped jaws Monday in San Diego.
On the first official day of big-league camp in Peoria, Ariz., there was no elation about an acrimonious lockout relegated to the rearview mirror or the exhilarating renewal of baseball's spring ritual.
