Padres Make Less Than 10 Percent From TV Deal Than Dodgers

It is no secret the San Diego Padres are a small-market team, but the location of the franchise means the team is a part of a media market that ranks in the bottom five in Major League Baseball.

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The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee explained the Padres are the only team to have a top 10 payroll, while also having a market score lower than 15th.

"Multiple sources have indicated, however, that the Padres generate somewhere between $20 and $30 million from their media deals," Acee writes. "That would put them by many industry estimates not only at the bottom of the league but at less than 10% of what the Dodgers are making from their TV deal."

While other owners and clubs could quickly use this as an excuse not to invest in the product on the field, the Padres have done an impressive job of building a winning reputation with a roster full of talent despite missing a lucrative TV deal.

How is that possible?

“The short answer is fan support,” Padres chief executive officer Erik Greupner said. “Attendance has led to revenue growth that can support a payroll that’s a lot higher — much, much higher — than our media market would support.”

The Padres set a franchise record season in attendance last season, and had 56 sellouts in 2024. The Friars ranked fourth in average attendance with 41,066 fans.

On Thursday's Opening Day, they set an all-time Petco Park Opening Day attendance record with 45,568 and had another sell-out crowd Friday.

The Padres have also made a few new additions to Petco Park this offseason as a reward to the Friar Faithful for their continuous support.

Though the Padres may not be able to outspend other teams in the NL West, the team is evidently a standup organization with the best fans in MLB.

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.