San Diego Padres land Eric Hosmer

First baseman Eric Hosmer appears to be the next domino to fall in the MLB free agent market after he agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres.

The free agency period for Major League Baseball has been moving slower than a snail stuck in the mud so far this off-season. Some big names are still unsigned at this point and the players still on the market could actually form a pretty decent team on their own.

Saturday night saw one player find a new home. According to San Diego Union-Tribune writer Kevin Acee, first baseman Eric Hosmer has agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres.

Financial terms of the contract aren’t readily available but there is no doubt the Padres had to shell out a pretty hefty deal to land one of the biggest bats still out there. He may not be J.D. Martinez but Hosmer is loved around the baseball world for his leadership and intangibles. It also doesn’t hurt he is coming off the best season of his career, batting .318 and getting on base at a .385 clip. He also slugged 25 home runs for the second straight season.

The deal is for $140 million over eight years, with an opt-out after five years, according to a report from Bob Nightengale.

That is a very long-term commitment for a player that is already 28 years old and will now be in San Diego through at least his 33rd birthday. Hosmer was excellent last year but he also just had his best season. He set personal bests in average, OPS, and slugging percentage. He also tied his best home run total which seems to point to some regression on the way.

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For the Padres, this signing might not look great in a few years but it sure is a shot in the arm to their rebuilding efforts. It also should help get fans interested in the team again and if everything goes according to plan, San Diego could be a force in the NL West within two to three seasons.