Padres chairman Peter Seidler responds to criticism over payroll: 'We’re here to win a title'

PEORIA, Ariz. – San Diego Padres chairman Peter Seidler reads the complaints from his fellow owners.

He hears Commissioner Rob Manfred openly question the Padres’ ability to sustain their success.

He listens to MLB saying the Padres are out of their minds with their $250 million payroll, third-largest in baseball, with astronomical losses that could financially doom them.

And you know what?

He could not care less.

“We’re here to win a title,’’ Seidler flatly said Tuesday in his first meeting with reporters since the winter meetings in December. “That’s what I expect.’’

So let everyone else moan and complain.

Let the small- and mid-market teams tell the Padres they are making them look bad with their exorbitant payroll.

Let the Commissioner’s office scratch their head and wonder how in the world can they possibly retain this large of a payroll without it all coming down and crashing.

“I don't spend too much time, if any, thinking about what other people are thinking,’’ Seidler says. “Truly, I care about what we're thinking in this room in San Diego. To me, it just feels great.

“We believe we have a great chance to go after that trophy and to deliver San Diego its first parade.’’

Certainly, the Padres have plenty of believers with season ticket sales capped at 24,000 and their first waitlist, with a projected franchise-record attendance exceeding three million.

Still, considering only the New York Mets and New York Yankees have larger payrolls, is it risky committing that much money knowing this small market is confined by the Pacific Ocean to the West, the desert to the East, Los Angeles to the North and Mexico to the South?

'THE SCRIPT IS READY:' Padres no longer the Dodgers' 'little brother' in NL West

UNDERDOG DODGERS? LA in uncharted territory after quiet winter

“When we talk about risk,’’ Seidler says, “there’s a risk in doing nothing.’’

The Padres, the only professional team in town, believe that their circumstances allow them to be creative.

“Our situation is unique,’’ Seidler says. “We have a very sports-oriented and hungry fanbase. We believe that if we continue to build that trust, they will continue to come. It’s about winning. It’s about being exciting. And it’s about our fans, young and old, knowing that they’re going to be able to watch great, exciting players, year after year after year. …

“We’ve chosen to really focus on the players and what has spawned out of that is this amazing relationship between our players and our fans. Players respond to the fans, and we’ve seen fans go nuts when they get to watch our players perform.’’

So, World Series or bust?

“One year soon the baseball gods will smile on the San Diego Padres,’’ Seidler says, “and we will have a parade.’’

Padres manager Bob Melvin even raised those expectations speaking to his team Tuesday morning, raising his fist, and saying: “This year is about the world championship.’’

This is a franchise that has been around 54 seasons, and it has never once won a World Series.

It hasn’t even won a division title since 2006.

So, pardon Seidler for being amused when he hears complaints from Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort and others about the way the Padres are doing business.

“I enjoy it all, I really do,’’ Seidler says. “You know, our game the more spice we have, within reason, the better. And credible people having different opinions, that’s what makes the world go around.

“I like spice.’’

How about the folks, including the Commissioner, believing it’s impossible for the Padres to sustain their success with a payroll dwarfing their market size?

Is it sustainable?

“People love that word,’’ Seidler says. “Let’s find a different one. Do I believe our parade is going to be on land or on water or on boat?

“Putting a great and winning team in San Diego year after year is sustainable.’’

Maybe, in the words of Mets owner Steve Cohen, it’s time for other owners to start looking at themselves in the mirror instead of ridiculing the big spenders.

“I do try to look at myself in the mirror,’’ Seidler says, “and I see reality. Hopefully my actions are more important than my words.’’

The more you spend, the more talented players you get.

The more talented players you get, the more you win.

This is why they dropped $288 million on shortstop Xander Bogaerts, dwarfing the Boston Red Sox’s $160 million offer to keep him.

They offered shortstop Trea Turner $342 million to come their way, only to be shocked when he turned them down to take $300 million from the Philadelphia Phillies.

They told MVP Aaron Judge they would pay him $400 million over 10 years if he came their way before he eventually re-signed with the New York Yankees.

“The way to win,’’ general manager A.J. Preller says, “is by having a lot of really, talented players on the field together.’’

So what’s it like being a GM of a team with no budget and the ability to pursue everyone in the world you desire?

Preller immediately pushed back on that theory.

“There’s plenty of 'no’s,’’’ Preller said. “I think it's kind of become a thing where everyone assumes we’re interested [in everyone], which probably is a good position to be in at different times. But there are plenty of situations that we don't want to go down that path. …

“It’s not unlimited resources. It’s not an unlimited budget. You got to make decisions and choices.’’

Well, one of these circumstances could involve All-Star third baseman Manny Machado, who finished second in last year’s MVP voting.

Machado, who signed a 10-year, $300 million contract four years ago, the largest in North American sports at the time, can opt out of his contract after this season. He says he will definitely opt out of his contract unless he receives a lucrative extension.

The Padres offered a five-year, $105 million extension last week that would begin after the 2028 season.

Machado quickly dismissed it.

He’s seeking along the lines of a 10-year extension worth $400 million beginning in 2024.

For the first time, at least publicly, maybe there really are limits to what the Padres will spend.

Yet, when directly asked about Machado’s contract status, Seidler didn’t hesitate.

“Manny is my top priority.’’

Certainly, it would appear the Padres made sure they would be covered if Machado departs by bringing in Bogaerts. They could simply shift Bogaerts to third base after the season, and bring Fernando Tatis Jr. back to shortstop.

Besides, if the Padres really were planning to keep Machado, why try to sign Judge? Were they really going to have two players potentially earning $40 million a year on the team, including four players with contracts exceeding $280 million?

Why, as great of a player and clubhouse leader Machado has been for the Padres, maybe they’re quietly fuming there was opt-out language in the first place. Bryce Harper, who signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies a month after Machado, does not have an opt-out clause. All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, who had two opt-outs, did not exercise either one with the St. Louis Cardinals.

“We were prepared for it,’’ Preller says. “We’ve always been looking at it as a possibility, and I think the good part for everybody is that he’s played at such a high level. …Manny has lived up to everything that we hoped for. He’s a phenomenal player. We got a ton of faith and respect for him.

“From my standpoint, we have a lot of great players in that room, and Manny is on the top of the list.

“And we want to make sure he’s here for a long time.’’

The Padres insist they will listen if Machado wants to talk about an extension during the season, and if not, they’ll be bidding like everyone else if he hits free agency.

The only hang-up, they believe, could be the timing.

They just might have a World Series parade to attend first.

“That,’’ Seidler says, “is the goal.’’

Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres chairman Peter Seidler responds to criticism over payroll