One Direction once remarked, “Just how fast the night changes!” Currently, the San Diego Padres are living just that. Around this time, last year, the Padres were the undisputed talk of the town. They were the conquering heroes that every neutral wanted to root for and players wanted to play in. But then, just as the Friars were getting ready to take a victory lap, they slipped. 

In what was the most disappointing story of the last few years, not only did the Friars fail, they failed in a way that broke everyone’s heart. Now, as they enter the 2024 season, the story is completely different. Silver linings have given way to dark clouds, and fans have made their feelings known. 

San Diego Padres looking at a long road ahead

Last season, the payroll of the Padres crossed $250 million. Superstar Juan Soto filled their ranks, and so did Blake Snell. The owner, Peter Seidler, believed this team could win the World Series and everyone else agreed. But as 2023 went on, those dreams just withered away. Now it’s 2024, and The Athletic has reported that the fans are not at all positive about the team’s prospects.

In their survey of 1420 people, only 4.9% were strongly confident about the Padres’ long-term prospects. “The engine is on but no one is behind the wheel,” one person from the survey wrote and many of those surveyed agreed. This is in stark contrast to 2023 when 57.1% of respondents believed that the Friars were on the way to glory. Just what happened in one year that broke the fans’ spirit? 

The biggest was the tragic passing of the owner, Peter Seidler, the man who always stood firm for the team. It was his belief and undying dedication that brought the Padres back to mainstream attention. “A few months after the passing of owner Peter Seidler, 38.5 percent indicated they were unsure what to think.” No doubt Peter’s untimely absence would sting the Friars for a long time, especially as they’ve lost two of their biggest stars as well.

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Juan Soto is now a Yankee and Blake Snell’s free agency is leaning towards teams other than the Padres. Under Seidler, the fans could hope that the Friars would find adequate replacements but that belief is currently absent from the new leadership. Especially as the present offseason is turning out to be a little damp squib.

The Friars’ disappointing offseason

The payroll of the Padres has fallen from $250 million to a little over $150 million right now. Much of it was intentional owing to a loss of revenue because of their media rights issues. But this has given a small headache to most of the fanbase. Apart from Manny Machado and the quickly rising Ha-Seong Kim, there isn’t a huge fan favorite in the squad. 

Though the Soto trade has given them top prospects like Michael King and Drew Thorpe, this offseason is a far cry from the one in 2023. Still, with the team trying to be more sustainable, this reduction in payroll could have a positive impact in the long run.

Read more: Former Padres Duo Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis’ Brotherly Bond On Display for DR President Abinader