In the business world, a company's founder is typically present from inception. The business never existed without them.

The San Diego Padres had existed a full 47 years before James Shields was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Fernando Tatis Jr. and Erik Johnson in June 2016. So when A.J. Preller told Mike Rodriguez on Friday that Tatis and Manny Machado (who signed with the Padres in February 2019) were "the founders of the Padres," it's important to not take it too literally.

Figuratively speaking, however, it might be safe to interpret Preller's idea of trading either player as comparable to trading a CEO who scratched out his vision for his company on the back of a napkin a decade earlier.

"Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.," Preller said, "are Padres for life."

Each player has a no-trade clause in his contract, making Preller's words more than mere sentiment.

Machado and the Padres renegotiated the final six seasons of his original contract in February 2023. The new deal paid him less money upfront ($130 million from 2023-28, compared to $180 million) in exchange for five additional seasons (2029-33) at $35 million per season. It also granted him a full no-trade clause.

Tatis' no-trade clause is all-inclusive through the end of the 2028 season. Then, from 2029-34, he can block trades to 13 teams annually. The particulars therein are perhaps less important than Tatis' stature within the clubhouse. His 14-year, $340 million contract gave Tatis the longest contract in MLB history at the time it was signed in February 2021.

The Padres' commitment to Tatis has already been tested once.

In August 2022, Tatis was suspended 80 games by MLB after testing positive for Clostebol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

In 2026, Tatis rebounded from a slow start to hit 20 home runs and post 3.7 fWAR after the All-Star break, better than all but two major league players.

It's hard to imagine the Padres' success in the 2020s without Tatis and Machado. If Preller's assessment of their importance to the franchise is to be taken at face value, it doesn't sound as if either player will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Their contracts make them difficult to move even if Preller changes his mind.

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