Padres CEO Reveals Plan for Remainder of Offseason, Where Payroll Will Be

Apr 20, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres chief executive officer Erik Greupner looks on before the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres entered the offseason with a dilemma. While the Friars had to maintain a winning roster, the organization also had to spend less while doing so.

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Because of the team's financial restrictions, the Padres sat by while other teams, especially in the NL West, signed a surplus of talent this winter. San Diego was one of the teams least mentioned in free agency and trade proposals, mainly because of the lack of financial flexibility.

Nevertheless, once February rolled around, the Padres began to make their moves. San Diego's biggest signing was a four-year, $55 million deal for starting pitcher Nick Pivetta.

Padres chief executive officer Erik Greupner spoke with the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee about the team's payroll situation.

“We feel like both A.J. and Mike have been given the resources that they need to put together a playoff-caliber and championship-caliber team,” Greupner said in reference to manager Mike Shildt and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. “I know they agree, especially with some of the recent additions that we’ve made.”

There was speculation the Padres would orchestrate a blockbuster trade before spring training, but no such deal transpired. And so, the question remains: Will there be any big signings made in the coming weeks?

As of now, the Padres payroll is just under $197 million. San Diego's payroll ranks 10th among MLB teams. Greupner said the “goal is to be at or around the payroll level that we’re at right now," an indication another blockbuster signing is unlikely.

“Our payroll has gone up significantly year over year, and we have been pursuing a long-term plan that was set years ago — several years ago — and we’re continuing to execute against that plan,” Greupner said.

“We’re exactly where we had expected to be from a payroll perspective going into this year. … That is sufficient, from a resource perspective, to go out and win a World Series championship," Greupner added. "And that’s a commitment that we’ve made for several years now to our fan base — that we would consistently put a team on the field that could compete for the playoffs and win a World Series championship. I know that was important to Peter and remains important to us as an organization, that we put a team on the field year in and year out that can compete for a World Series championship.”

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