San Diego lost the NLDS 3-1 and went home for the third straight year without winning more than one round. This time the people who have to answer for it are new.
The Seidler family sold the Padres this year to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones for $3.9 billion, a record for a Major League franchise at the time. The Angels have since sold for $4 billion.
They Said the Right Things in August
“We are all in. It’s not lip service,” Jones said. Feliciano was blunter: “We need to win the World Series. It’s that simple.”
Fine. October is over and now the words get tested against a payroll sheet. San Diego has run roughly $220 million in payroll over the last three years, after a franchise-record $257 million in 2023.
The Padres already have about $196 million committed for 2027, which FanGraphs ranks eighth in baseball. That is a lot of money already spent on a roster that just went 0-for-21 to end its season.
Two Opt-Outs Will Shape Everything
Michael King can opt out of the two years and $58 million remaining on his deal. Nick Pivetta’s flexor injury triggered a clause that lets the Padres opt out of his remaining two years and $28 million.
So the rotation could lose two starters in different directions, one by choice and one by contract mechanics. Adrian Morejon and Ty France are also headed for free agency.
That is a lot of churn for a team whose problem was not pitching. San Diego pitched well enough to win a short series. The offense scored one run in the elimination game and had no hits after the third inning.
The Preller Question Is Already Answered
A.J. Preller got an extension in February, so there is no front-office shakeup coming. The new owners inherited a general manager and chose to commit to him before watching him run a postseason.
That means the accountability lands on spending. If Feliciano and Jones meant what they said, the Padres will add offense this winter and absorb the tax consequences. If payroll comes down while King walks, the “all in” line becomes a quote people replay sarcastically for the next five years.
San Diego has a roster built to win now, an owner group that paid a record price, and a three-year track record of getting eliminated early. Something has to give this winter, and the only question is whether it is the payroll or the patience.
There is a version of this winter where San Diego does the hard thing well. Keep King, let Pivetta go, add two legitimate bats and run a payroll in the $240 million range. That team wins the division and is dangerous in October.
There is also a version where the new owners discover what every owner discovers, which is that winning the World Series costs more than saying you want to.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.