Padres fans shouldn't feel comfortable despite CEO's assurances about contending
Padres CEO Erik Greupner reassured fans who have expressed concerns about San Diego's quiet offseason on Tuesday, saying he believes they have "sufficient" resources to contend for a World Series title, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
“I think we have a team, like you saw last year, that’s capable of going down and accomplishing our goal,” Greupner said, while noting that the team's $207 million payroll was "sufficient" for their World Series pursuit, and part of the "long-term plan that was set … several years ago.”
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It's been a quiet offseason in San Diego, and when they've been in the news, it hasn't always been for reasons that would give fans a lot of reason to believe they're still trying to win now. Ace pitcher Dylan Cease has been the subject of a plethora of trade rumors all offseason, and Jurickson Profar, who had a stunning breakout campaign last year at age 31, left San Diego to sign with the Atlanta Braves.
Meanwhile, the only real signing of note has been starting pitcher Nick Pivetta, who signed a four-year, $55 million contract earlier this month.
Greupner also took time to address worries that the death of owner Peter Seidler would lead to the team being sold, and ultimately leaving San Diego.
“I have been told multiple times that the team is not for sale and will not be sold,” Greupner said. “The Seidler family has viewed this team as a generational asset. Peter spoke about that. The rest of his family has continued to speak about that. This team is not going to be relocated. This team is not going to be sold. The commitment remains to keep this team in the current ownership that it’s in right now and continue to run it the way we’ve been running it.”
While it's true last season was a pleasant surprise in San Diego, winning 93 games and pushing the eventual World Series champion Dodgers to the brink in a five-game series, it would be hard to deny that the Padres feel further from that goal than ever right now. They made precious few offseason moves to bolster the roster, while the Dodgers, Giants, and Diamondbacks all got demonstrably better. The farm system doesn't have a ton of help on the way, either; neither of their top prospects in catcher Ethan Salas or shortstop Leodalis De Vris are close to ready for the major leagues, and their farm system ranks 26th in the sport, according to Keith Law of The Athletic.
While Padres fans can feel confident right now that a fire sale isn't coming down the pipe, Greupner's words should also come as a warning: if things don't go well, or holes become apparent as the season progresses, don't expect a ton of help coming in the form of trades like San Diego has seen in years past. While GM A.J. Preller is a master of wheeling and dealing for big names, the cupboard is pretty bare, and it's clear the Padres aren't willing to take on much more payroll to get over the hump.
In other words, while they won't be selling, and won't be moving the team, don't expect much more help than is already here. And in what might be the second-best division in all of baseball outside of the AL East, what's here might not be good enough to make it work.
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