The executive believes the Padres’ future “could get really ugly” if they don’t win the World Series

Entering 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 a year later, the Padres may already be in “win now” mode to capitalize on their current championship window.

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

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With the amount of money the Padres have committed to these three stars and an impending contract likely going to star centerfielder Jackson Merrill, the question will be whether the Padres can afford future contracts to keep their team in the running for the To hold the World Series. Both Dylan Cease and Michael King will become free agents after the 2025 season, and the Padres will have to either figure out how to re-sign them or replace them next season.

“It’s scary to think about,” one MLB executive told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “You have major financial obligations. This could get really ugly.”

Aside from the fact that there is already a significant amount of money tied up in these contracts, the Padres no longer have as large a prospect pool as they once did. They gave up on the prospect of trading 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 early as next season. The Padres showed they were ready and had the caliber of team in the 2024 postseason, but ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

The positive for the Padres is that general manager AJ Preller has proven to be aggressive and likely wouldn’t shy away from making necessary moves even if these contracts got in the way.