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Law: Why the prospect-packed Padres spent too much on Eric Hosmer

The San Diego Padres' decision to sign Eric Hosmer to an eight-year deal -- really a five-year deal for $105 million with a three-year player option for another $39 million at the end -- is the most inexplicable move of the offseason. Not only does it overvalue Hosmer's production, it adds a player who doesn't fit the Padres' current or long-term needs, and bumps one of their better players to a position where he's going to be a problem defensively.

Hosmer's major league career has never lived up to the expectations everyone, myself included, had for him when he was a prospect. He was No. 3 on my draft board in 2008, and rose as high as No. 3 in my offseason prospect rankings before he made his major league debut in 2011. He was a two-way player in high school, throwing up to 94 mph off the mound, while also providing big power and a very good idea at the plate, athletic enough that he might be able to move to right field, with 30-homer potential that would let him profile at any position.