This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Wil Myers cannot believe it's been that long.
"Wild," the longtime Padre recalled in a phone conversation this week. "I remember the day it happened. And that does not seem like 10 years ago. But, dang."
Indeed, today marks one decade since Myers was traded from the Rays to the Padres in a three-team blockbuster -- part of A.J. Preller's frenzied first offseason as general manager.
Myers spent eight seasons in San Diego and occupies a unique place in franchise history. He was the best player on some truly bad teams. And he was a role player on some very good ones.
Zoom out further, and the contrast continues. Myers was the centerpiece of a trade the Padres unquestionably lost by sending Trea Turner to the Nationals. Riddled by injuries and inconsistent performance, Myers never reached the heights many envisioned after he won AL Rookie of the Year with Tampa Bay in 2013.
And yet, he remains something of a fan favorite. With San Diego, Myers hit 134 homers, started an All-Star Game and earned down-ballot MVP votes. Perhaps most notably, he was the one player on hand for the entirety of the franchise’s turnaround.
When Myers arrived -- and later signed what was then the richest contract in franchise history -- he was sold on a vision by Padres leadership, including late owner Peter Seidler. By the time Myers left after the 2022 season, that vision had come to fruition.
"As a home player, there is nothing better than playing on a Tuesday night and still having 40,000 fans in the stands cheering for your games," Myers said. "It was something Peter would talk about early on -- if we win here, what it would be like.
"For certain, that happened. It was really cool. It was the best atmosphere I had played in in baseball. And I played some playoff games in Boston, Philly, Dodger Stadium, at the Mets. The playoff atmosphere in San Diego was louder than all of them. It was really cool to see that happen firsthand and get to experience that."
Myers' final season in San Diego was shortened by injuries, but he got healthy just in time for the team's playoff run. The indelible image of Myers from that postseason came after the Padres’ NLDS victory over the Dodgers. Wil and his wife, Maggie, went to a nearby bar full of jubilant Padres fans. They bought a round. For everyone.
In the final home game of that 2022 regular season, Myers moved to third base for one batter, then was promptly removed. It made for a longer trot to the home dugout, and, thus, a longer ovation from the fans. The team showed a tribute on the videoboard shortly thereafter.
But that was the only sendoff Myers got. After signing with Cincinnati before the 2023 season, he eyed a late-April series in San Diego. But he landed on the injured list just beforehand, then contracted COVID.
"When you're there for eight years, obviously you have teammates, but there are a lot of [people you want to see],” Myers said. “I do wish I would've had that moment. At least one at-bat, where I could've stood there and tipped my hat, just appreciated those fans."
Myers still hasn’t been back to Petco Park. But he plans to do so at some point in the near future. Technically, he is not officially retired. ("And I never will officially retire," he says.)
But he made a decision after he was released by Cincinnati that June. He had dealt with shoulder trouble that season. The rehab wasn’t fun. He was grinding to find his swing and just couldn’t. Meanwhile, the Reds had begun to turn to their young core.
“I was definitely the odd man out,” Myers said. “I saw the writing on the wall, no hard feelings there. … But at that point, I really didn’t want to try to figure out the swing anymore. I’d had a tough time. I got to the point that I didn’t want to grind anymore.
“And, honestly, guys got to throwing pretty hard, man. There were a lot of 100 mph fastballs that I just didn’t want to see anymore.”
So, after 11 seasons in the big leagues, Myers moved back home to Charlotte, N.C. He and Maggie have an 8-month-old son named Miller. Eventually, Myers said, he would love to get back into baseball in some capacity. He isn’t sure what.
For now, however, Myers is content to enjoy his, um, retirement. Prior to this interview, he proudly announced that he’d just completed his 250th round of golf in 2024.
“I’m not really interested in having any sort of boss just yet,” Myers said. “I like waking up, going to play golf in the morning, coming back and playing dad in the afternoon. I’ve got a nice schedule right now.”
Fair enough. Those are the perks of an 11-year career in which Myers earned nearly nine figures. Still, he keeps in regular contact with some of his former Padres teammates, and he clearly looks back on his time in San Diego fondly.
The 2022 playoff run was the highlight -- particularly the Wild Card Series clincher, he says, because of how much he loved watching Joe Musgrove dominate the Mets. Myers also started a hometown All-Star Game in 2016, and says his favorite individual moment was the standing ovation he received after hitting a double in that game.
“I had a great career,” Myers said. “I loved what I did. I made a lot of great friends. I have no regrets. If you had told me the day I was drafted that this would be your career, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat. I loved what I did, and now it’s just kind of onto the next chapter of life.”