Executive Thinks Padres Future 'Could Get Real Ugly' If They Don't Win World Series Soon

Do the Padres have a short World Series window?

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2024 MLB season, the San Diego Padres did not face high expectations after trading Juan Soto and losing manager Bob Melvin to the San Francisco Giants. Less than one year later, the Padres might already be in "win now" mode to capitalize on their current championship window.

During the final years of Peter Seidler's life, the Padres spent big to bring a World Series title to San Diego for the first time. This included an 11-year, $350 million contract to Padres third baseman Manny Machado that has nine years remaining, a 14-year, $340 million deal for Fernando Tatis Jr. with 10 years left, and an 11-year, $280 million contract to Xander Bogaerts that has nine years left.

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Due to the amount of money the Padres have tied to these three stars, and an upcoming contract likely going to star center fielder Jackson Merrill, the question will be if the Padres can afford future contracts to keep their team in contention for the World Series. Both Dylan Cease and Michael King will become free agents following the 2025 season, and the Padres will have to either figure out how to re-sign them or replace them next season.

“That’s scary to think about," one MLB executive said to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “They’ve got some big-time financial commitments. That could get real ugly."

Along with a significant amount of money already tied into these contracts, the Padres do not have as large of a prospect pool as they once did. They have given up prospects to trade for Soto and Cease, leaving them with fewer players ready to debut from their minor league system.

This scenario could put pressure on the Padres to win the World Series as soon as next season. The Padres showed during the 2024 postseason that they are ready and that caliber of a team, but they ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

The positive for the Padres is that general manager A.J. Preller has proven to be aggressive, and would be unlikely to shy away from making necessary moves even if those contracts would seem to get in the way.