PEORIA, Ariz. -- On the heels of a deflating playoff exit, a quiet offseason and ongoing tension between prominent members of late owner Peter Seidler's family, San Diego Padres CEO Erik Greupner stressed that the organization's ambitions have not strayed.
"Nothing's changed," Greupner said Tuesday before the Padres' first full-squad workout. "We're here to win the first World Series championship in franchise history."
Greupner typically conducts his annual spring training media session alongside his boss, be it Seidler or Eric Kutsenda, who became the interim control person in the wake of Seidler's death in November 2023.
This time, Greupner was noticeably alone.
John Seidler, Peter Seidler's oldest brother, still has not officially taken over the proceedings. John was approved as the new control person by Major League Baseball's owners Feb. 6. But the transfer of power won't occur officially until he is made the trustee of Peter Seidler's trust, a process that is expected to take 30 days.
John's ascension hasn't occurred without controversy. Sheel Seidler, Peter's widow and the mother of their three children, filed a lawsuit Jan. 6 against two other brothers, Bob and Matt, accusing them of mishandling funds as trustees of Peter's trust and alleging that she should become the team's control person.
In a response three weeks later, Matt stated, among other things, that Sheel's actions were the result of her being "unhappy that Peter did not give her control over the San Diego Padres or the trust upon his death" and that his brother never intended for Sheel to run the team. Litigation is ongoing, casting a cloud over the franchise at a pivotal point in its trajectory.
But Greupner said it has been "business as usual" within the building.
"Really we've been uninterrupted by the noise outside the organization," Greupner added. "We've been given the resources we need, the stability we need."
Within Sheel's lawsuit was an allegation that John's promotion might have been motivated by the brothers' intent to eventually sell and perhaps even relocate the Padres. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred denied that during the owners' meetings earlier this month. Greupner did the same from the team's spring training complex.
"This team is not going to be relocated, this team is not going to be sold," he said. "The commitment remains to keep this team in the current ownership that it's in right now and continue running it the way we've been running it."
Asked what might change about the team's vision under John Seidler, Greupner said: "No change."
"Goal remains the same," Greupner said. "We have had a long-term plan that was set years ago that we've been executing against, and that's to put a consistently winning team on the field with the goal of making the playoffs and competing for a World Series championship. John embraces that goal."
The Padres went into last October with a team that seemed poised to do just that, capturing the second-most regular-season wins in franchise history and fielding arguably the deepest, most well-rounded group in all of baseball. But the Padres' offense finished the National League Division Series with 24 consecutive scoreless innings, dropping back-to-back clinching games to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers and watching them go on to win the championship.
The Dodgers then signed practically everybody they wanted this offseason -- including three prominent players with clear Padres ties. Blake Snell, who won a Cy Young Award as a member of the Padres in 2023, secured a five-year, $182 million contract. Tanner Scott, who notably dominated Shohei Ohtani while pitching out of the Padres' bullpen last fall, got a four-year, $72 million deal. And Roki Sasaki, the Japanese pitching phenom whom the Padres coveted for years, chose the Dodgers at the end of a prolonged recruiting process.
The Padres, meanwhile, didn't sign their first major league contract until committing $3.5 million to veteran catcher Elias Diaz near the end of January. Connor Joe and Jason Heyward, who will make up the team's left-field platoon, followed two weeks later with $1 million contracts.
It wasn't until landing starting pitcher Nick Pivetta with a four-year, $55 million deal Feb. 12 that the Padres made their first -- and perhaps only -- headline-grabbing move of a crucial winter. But the structure of his deal, which pays him only a $1 million base salary in 2025, made it clear that the Padres are at or near -- or potentially even above -- what they consider to be their payroll limit.
In the wake of Seidler's death, the Padres slashed payroll by a third, going from roughly $254 million to $170 million in 2024, according to Spotrac. That number has gone back up to about $197 million, 10th highest in the majors, part of what Greupner described as "a long-term plan that was set years ago." Greupner said the Padres' payroll will continue to be determined by a combination of fan support and revenue generated.
"We remain one of the smallest media markets in baseball, yet despite that, our fans have been amazing, and they've supported this team, and we owe them an incredible debt of gratitude," Greupner said. "And we're at a level right now with our payroll that we're putting everything that we have, that we can generate in our market, into this team. For that to be a top-10 payroll is pretty amazing considering the size of our market when it comes to the media market. And I think it's once again a testament to how amazing our fans are in showing up and supporting this team."
In recent years, as they accumulated and retained star-caliber players, the Padres have benefitted from unprecedented interest and record crowds in their region. Petco Park drew 3.3 million fans in 2024, topping a high mark set in 2023. The 2022 attendance of 2.99 million was the fourth largest in franchise history.
But the Padres have also been among the most affected by an uncertain regional-cable model, becoming the first team dropped by Main Street Sports Group -- formerly Diamond Sports Group -- as it navigated through bankruptcy proceedings. The Padres lost their regional-sports-network contract at the end of May in 2023, prompting them to fall under MLB's national media umbrella. The development expanded their reach, allowing fans to stream Padres games blackout-free within market, but also led to a significant loss of annual revenue.
In the meantime, contracts for the Padres' best players continue to increase. Fernando Tatis Jr., who is signed through 2034, will see his salary rise from $11 million to $20 million in 2025. Manny Machado, signed through 2033, will see an increase from $13 million to $21 million in 2026. The Padres are trying to balance those escalating salaries without a local-media contract, all while staying relevant within a hyper-competitive NL West and going through an ownership transition littered with drama.
Greupner and other members of the organization addressed the situation regarding Sheel Seidler and Peter Seidler's brothers with players during the team's fan-fest event at the start of February and relayed the same message he is clearly trying to communicate publicly -- that the Padres' day-to-day operations, according to Greupner, have been unimpacted.
"We're very focused as an organization making sure it doesn't become a disruption," Greupner said. "And I think once we start playing baseball games, it's going to be even easier to avoid any distraction."