Manfred applauds Padres spending, skeptical of how long it can continue

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is proud of the work the San Diego Padres have done, but seems to be skeptical the small-market team can continue to make it work.

"Look, I think there's real positives in the Padres story," Manfred said during his press availability at spring training camps Wednesday, according to The USA Today's Bob Nightengale. " ... The trick for the smaller markets has always been sustainability. Hats off to (chairman) Peter Seidler. He's made a massive financial commitment personally to make this all happen."

In recent years, Seidler has spent ruthlessly in an effort to make the Padres a contender in an ultra-competitive NL West. This past offseason, that spending spree continued, as he signed off on a massive 11-year, $280-million free-agent deal given to Xander Bogaerts on top of the signings of Matt Carpenter, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Nelson Cruz. Even further, the club recently gave a lucrative six-year, $108-million extension to Yu Darvish.

"The question becomes," Manfred continued, adding skepticism, "'How long can you continue to do that? What happens when you have to go through a rebuild?' But they have done a really, really good job of capitalizing on their talent to drive their revenue.’"

While the Padres have not won a division title in this stretch, they have made the postseason in two of the past three campaigns, going 205-179 (.534) since the beginning of 2020. They have won three playoff rounds over that span, going 8-10 in postseason play.