The San Diego Padres’ new ownership group says the mission is simple: win. But as Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones try to steer the franchise toward that goal, one rival general manager is already warning them that the bill for doing business in San Diego is about to get steep.
After the Padres’ wild-card sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the pressure around the franchise’s biggest contracts is impossible to ignore. A rival GM told ESPN, “It's going to get ugly,” pointing to the financial weight hanging over the team’s core.
That core is expensive, and it’s not getting cheaper anytime soon. Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts are still owed a combined $810 million, and even in 2033 - when Bogaerts and Machado will both be 40 - there will still be $116 million owed to those four players.
Right-hander Michael King, who turned in one of his best outings of the season Tuesday to open the postseason, also has a decision ahead of him this offseason, with the chance to opt out of the final two years and $66 million left on his deal. If San Diego wants to keep him, the payroll climb only gets steeper.
The numbers stand out even more against the backdrop of the franchise’s sale. The Padres were last sold in 2012 for $800 million, but the latest transaction came in at a record $3.9 billion, the largest official team sale in MLB history. That puts Feliciano and Jones in a very different financial neighborhood than the one they’re stepping into with the Angels’ still-pending $4 billion sale.
Feliciano, though, isn’t treating the payroll burden like a warning sign. He views it as part of the challenge.
"To me, those are all opportunities," Feliciano said. "Look at how much we have accomplished - how much this team has accomplished, being from a small market and all those things.
To me, the theme is that we've been able to exceed expectations. And we have been able to surprise people."
The Padres also have something money can’t manufacture: a fan base that keeps showing up. The Friar Faithful were loud Tuesday and Wednesday, which fit a bigger pattern. In 2023, San Diego drew more than 3 million fans during the regular season, a mark the club hadn’t reached since 2004, its first year at Petco Park.
Manny Machado tied that support directly to what ownership puts into the club.
"When you invest in your team, you invest in your organization, not only do you get good players to come and want to play and put yourself in good situations to go win a championship," Machado said, "but you also get a lot of fans to come out here and support."
The payroll picture in San Diego is heavy. The expectations are heavier. And if this hottest team in baseball gets where it wants to go, none of it will matter.
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