The San Diego Padres’ current situation is a mess. But who is to blame? 

To be a Padre fan is to be a fan of a team with an oftentimes traumatic history.

The Padres have gone through a myriad of owners, numerous fire sales, the tearing down of two championship teams, and repeated periods of low spending. The term “San Diego discount” would constantly lead to head shakes and frustration, while refusals to keep homegrown (or near homegrown) talent led to repeated exoduses and exasperation.

Since the decade’s start, however, the team has been on a streak of success, going to the playoffs for three years bolstered by heavy spending and a winning culture. This has borne fruit in the seats as fans have flocked to Petco, turning it into a legitimate home-field advantage.

Right now, the Padres and their fans find themselves in a catch-22.

The Padres currently have a top-ten payroll; had you told me that such would be the case a decade ago, I would’ve laughed in your face. I remember years when having a payroll that started with a four was cause for celebration (and for the youngsters, that was around $40 million, not $400 million). The Padres remain a loaded team with stars ranging from veterans looking to make their way to Cooperstown to up-and-coming studs. Even with a non-existent offseason, the team is rated among the five best in the game and is considered a strong contender for the playoffs. It’s also coming off another deep playoff run where they took the World Series champion to the absolute limit.

However, the team also finds itself in questionable straights.

The Padres’ current financial crisis is entirely the fault of A.J. Preller, with the tacit or wholehearted approval of one Peter Seidler.

Obscene contracts were handed out to players who had no clear position within the team upon arrival (Xander Bogaerts) or paid to players who had one great moment (Jake Cronenworth). The team also paid players past their prime (Yu Darvish) or those who had only shown a single year of greatness (Fernando Tatis Jr). These deals were handed out like candy, often backloaded and built on numerous assumptions.

Many of these deals were handed out to great applause, and I don’t deny I was thrilled by some of the moves. All the while, everyone was aware that there would come a day when payroll and funding would be limited due to the raises these players were going to achieve. And this doesn’t even include contracts given to players like Wil Myers or Eric Hosmer, the latter of which, while potentially necessary in landing Machado, still haunts the Padres to this day.

The other factor is that the Padres are one of several teams with no television revenue.

That evaporated when Bally’s Sports imploded and left numerous teams without a TV contract or the all-important funds from it. It’s simple math: the team lost tens of millions of dollars (per season) when they no longer had a place to be on TV. This money could’ve been used to spend on further long-term deals with players like Michael King or Luis Arraez or to keep a guy like Jurickson Profar potentially. The teams spending are the ones with guaranteed network contracts or the teams with their own networks, which keep them rolling in dough. You only have to look 100 miles to the north or 300 miles east of Petco to see what a team with TV money can do versus a team with no money from it.

Then there’s the lawsuit. Whatever you think, there is no magic bullet in this situation.

The widow of a beloved owner, Sheel Seidler, who is not a billionaire, is not going to lead to immediate spending if she takes control of the franchise. Nor will the ascendency of two brothers holding the bag on a ridiculous offseason lead to the downfall and destruction of a great team.

Right now, fans are caught in the middle of a squabble between the rich and the richer. Between family members who on both sides may or may not have been actively involved before the death of Peter Seidler. This also will likely lead to the destruction of a decade-long pursuit, all for someone to seek immediate financial gain on something they have never been involved with previously. And during a perfect storm of financial difficulty.

None of this is to excuse what has been an uncharacteristic and worrisome offseason with basically no moves but lost free agents everywhere. At a point where the Dodgers spent like a drunken sailor in the midway district and both the Giants and Diamondbacks have made big moves to improve, the Padres have added zero free agents on the major league side, nor have they made a single trade.

By comparison, last year, the Padres faced a similar financial crisis and were still able to make trades and sign free agents. This year, however, there’s been silence from one of the most aggressive general managers in the game, and that can’t be because there’s no move to make. It’s one thing to say you can’t spend $15 million on a left fielder who finally had a breakout season on a prove-it deal; it’s another to suggest you can’t make any moves or even trades at all. But that’s where we find ourselves, and the anger from the fans is palpable and justified.

The Padres find themselves in a situation where they are rapidly losing support from one of the most passionate fan bases in the game.

Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet, barring a gargantuan cash influx from some outside source. What we celebrated for years is now coming home to roost as the Padres are stuck in a difficult cash position. Ownership in-fighting isn’t the cause of the problem, but it won’t be an easy solution either. Neither side, regardless of how many internet fanboys and girls they have, can solve the current woes with the wave of their wand.

Instead, the team has to focus on finding a new TV deal as fast as possible and make moves commensurate with their current financial situation while keeping the core of the team together.

The Padres aren’t turning into the Athletics in terms of revenue or fan love. But, with increased performance comes increased expectations. The team and all parties fighting for its control had better fix things rapidly, or the passionate crowds may quickly dissipate, and what was created over multiple seasons could evaporate in a single calendar year.

Loren Casuto

A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.

When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.