Padres News: Unpacking Fernando Tatis Jr's History with Chicago Ahead of Big Series

Few have been on top of San Diego these past few days the way Fernando Tatis Jr. has. We really did not know just how much we missed his athleticism and swag that he brings to the field every time he laces up some cleats.

Even though we love how Xander Bogaerts has embraced his new team immediately and we always look to Manny Machado to be the superstar leader, there is just something about Tatis that fans cannot get enough of. The sport of baseball is better when he's playing and he's been making his mark in the league since his rookie season in 2019.

The cheers drowned out the boos in Fernando Tatis Jr.'s return pic.twitter.com/MzYDAFKYXj
— Talking Friars (@TalkingFriars) April 21, 2023

El Niño Wasn't Always Part of The Gaslamp Guys

It's very easy to forget that when Tatis first got signed to a contract after some spectacular play in the Dominican Prospect League when he was just a teenager, it was not the Friars who took a shot on him. The Chicago White Sox were the franchise to bring him in and then traded him just a year later.

"Tatis, who figures to start Tuesday’s series opener in Wrigley Field, was 17 when Sox GM Rick Hahn traded him to the Padres for veteran pitcher James Shields. In comments to Sox fans three years later, Hahn famously described himself as the “jackass” who traded Tatis."

"Not only did the Sox deal Tatis, they assumed $30 million of Shields’ contract, but it wasn’t the first time Jerry Reinsdorf’s club bailed out the Padres."

(Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)

It's super hard to know exactly what a player will become down the line and if they are worth holding on to to see how they develop but it's clear the Padres had a vision for Tatis early on.

How Has Tatis Matched Up Against the White Sox in the Past?

This is actually going to be El Nino's first professional game in his career against Chicago. The Friars last saw them in 2022 where they dropped two out of their three matches and Tatis obviously was still serving his suspension.

They also played them back in 2017 when Tatis was not yet on the big league roster and they also went one for three in that series as well.

6 YEARS AGO TODAY, the Chicago White Sox traded Fernando Tatis Jr. to the San Diego Padres for James Shields 🤨

Shields went 16-35 with a 5.31 ERA over three seasons in Chicago while Tatis Jr. has finished top 4 in NL MVP voting twice in San Diego 😳 pic.twitter.com/vvUR5ihfl1
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) June 4, 2022

This is a great chance for El Niño to make a clear statement against the franchise that sealed him away.