San Diego Padres
· 2026-07-04
San Diego Padres have just sealed a historic $3.9 billion sale to José Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, but the new owners inherit an aging roster that’s struggling to meet its payroll. The club sits 9th in the National League at 43‑44, riding a seven‑game skid after a 4‑3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 4, 2026.
The deal hands the Feliciano group a stadium that draws the second‑highest attendance in MLB, with nearly 42,000 fans per game and a total of 3.4 million last season. It also includes a payroll in the top ten at $213 million. Yet the money isn’t translating into wins; the Padres are 37‑34 overall, eight games behind the Dodgers and just half a game ahead of Arizona.
Xander Bogaerts, on an eleven‑year deal, earns $25.5 million but posts an OPS+ of 83, meaning he’s 17 % below league average. Manny Machado, on a $350 million, seven‑year stretch, is currently slashing .177/.255/.358, hinting at a possible decline. Fernando Tatís Jr., still early in his $340 million contract, has an OPS+ of 96 and only two home runs, the first arriving on May 30.
Outfielder Jackson Merrill, locked into a nine‑year, $135 million pact, contributed a modest $2.1 million this season after a $10 million signing bonus. He’s hitting .205/.272/.340 for a 71 OPS+. Infielder Jake Cronenworth, on a seven‑year, $80 million contract, is sidelined with concussion symptoms after a fastball struck his jaw in April, leaving him with a -0.4 bWAR this year.
Pitcher Nick Pivetta, who signed a four‑year, $55 million deal, is on the 60‑day injured list with an elbow strain after just four starts. Hometown ace Joe Musgrove, in the penultimate year of a five‑year, $100 million contract, missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery and is still working back to form. The club’s next test is a home series against the Dodgers on July 5, 2026, a chance to snap the losing streak and prove the new ownership can turn the tide.