Padres claim social media hacks and spoil Eric Hosmer free agency fun

Well, the MLB free agent scene just got (briefly) quite weird.

Here’s what you missed late Wednesday night concerning one Eric Hosmer, the San Diego Padres and an otherwise uneventful free agency period.

First, a fan on Instagram noticed a picture of Hosmer on the Padres account that was quickly deleted. On Twitter, the team tweeted “Stay tuned,” tagged Hosmer and used the “eye” emoji. All of which led to speculation that the Padres were on the verge of a big announcement, and a big free agency move.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case, according to Dennis Lin, a Padres beat reporter, who tweeted:

"Padres team official: The club’s social media accounts, which posted and deleted Eric Hosmer items late last night, were hacked. As of now, it is unclear how that happened. Although teams run their respective accounts, they technically are assets controlled by MLB Advanced Media."

In theory, that cleared up the confusion.

For Padres fans, it is disappointing considering the team needs a morale boost. There hasn’t really been any news for the Padres since the Brad Hand extension. The club is still a couple years away, but they have a good system that should have the MLB club reap rewards. That said, the Padres should be hesitant on giving out a long-term deal, as they don’t need dead money lying around to hurt the team in the long run.

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So, San Diego would be wise to only swoop in if the price is right. Hosmer does represent a huge offensive upgrade and a player that is entering the prime of their career, but according to Lin, the Padres don’t have anything “imminent” with him.

This just goes to show the uncertainty of the offseason, and take everything on the internet with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, there is close to nothing exciting going on, except time going by until Opening Day.