Change We Can Believe In

For a community that has consistently been promised change over the years, we here at FF hope that we finally have some change we can believe in. This is, of course, a loaded statement, what with the series of disappointing regimes we have faced over the years. A quick stroll through memory lane doesn't bode well for the nascent reign of Jeff Moorad, the new Padre co-owner/CEO:

• The Krocs had their ups (Ray) and downs (Joan)


• Tom Werner is synonymous "The Fire Sale I"


• John Moores has had his moments, but personal issues have clearly impacted the team

Then again, Moorad is sending all the right signals so far:

• According the Union-Tribune, he chimed in on the possibility of moving Peavy this season to meet payroll with:

  It would be premature for me to say what is going to happen. The goal is to build this for the long term. I don't know how that impacts the Peavy situation. But we're going to do whatever we can to improve the team.

  Sure, this doesn't say that they will keep Peavy, but it also seems to eliminate the probability of moving him at fire sale prices. Let's be real, by not moving him this offseason, the club was put in a position where Peavy's value declined on a daily basis. Every club knew Moores couldn't afford Peavy on his own, and the club would become disparate to move him at some point. The idea of someone over paying for him when the club doesn't have the ability to just stay the course is ludicrous.


• Moorad seems poised to draft based on talent over affordability. Also from the U-T article previously referenced:

  We'll look at the minor league system. There have been some drafting challenges. I'm looking forward to drafting near the top ... in that aspect, we'll go in the right direction.

  The Chargers used to engage in draft trickery during the Bobby Beathard era. It didn't work for the Bolts, and it surely hasn't worked for the Padres. The good news here is that Moorad seems to have an AJ Smith vibe toward the draft. This can only be a positive move. Even (former?) nemesis of Friar managament Scott Boras seems to agree.


• According to ESPN, Moorad has signaled that "...his goal is to compete with a payroll of $70 million to $80 million." Hallelujah.


• Multiple reports indicate that Moorad is not in this to make a quick profit. He gives the impression that he wants to right the ship, then let market forces provide the profit. This is a stark contrast to what Friar fans have become accustomed to - no more Blue Light specials.


• Given the fragile state of the economy, funding the purchase was difficult without a source of credit, but Moorad and company were creative, and found a model leveraged in the NFL as a template to stretch the sale out over time. Moores must be credited here as well, as he has essentially agreed to become Moorad's line of credit.

Sure, Moorad's tenure is still a giant unknown. But we have to be encouraged that his brand of change is thus far devoid of double talk, shortsightedness, outright inaccuracies, or anything else we've all become used to. A little change that we can actually believe in would be a nice.

Thank You John

With news of the probable (possible?) sale of the Padres, we at FF would like to thank John Moores for doing the right thing. Once again, we appreciate what Moores has done for the club in his tenure and wish him the best. Hell, if Tom Werner can build a championship team after his questionable reign over the Friars, Moores is looking great at his next stop in the ownership circuit.

Maybe Moores Should Move On

Here's a minor break in FF's offseason silence: maybe John Moores should move on from the Padres. We wouldn't be the first to note that Moores has been very generous to the San Diego community. For this, he should be commended. We've even heard that he's a generally nice, well meaning guy that genuinely cares about those with which he works. While this and additional accolades may be true, maybe it would be best for him and his wife to put the club behind them. Simply put, many people and caught up in this alleged divorce fight over the club. Friar fans - check. Trevor Hoffman - check. Jake Peavy - check. The 2009 club - check. If this isn't enough, hearing that Kevin Towers must have all player moves approved by Sandy Alderson assistant Paul DePodesta surely adds to insanity (maybe this is old news, but it is the first we've heard of it... we are so disgruntled with the team at the moment, that we aren't keeping close tabs). We'd like to see one of two actions:

• Have each half of the divorcing couple fund half of the team at last year's level (no salary inflation) and put "ownership" in the hands of their daughter. This has long been rumored as eventual direction for the team - make it happen now.


• Put the team on the block.

Both seem more reasonable then holding the franchise hostage.

Forbes Ranks Friars 19th In '08 Value

Forbes Magazine's 2008 edition of SportsMoney Baseball has ranked John Moores' Padres as the 19th most valuable club in Major League Baseball at $385M (out of 30). This represents an 11% increase over last year's valuation and has the Friars increasing in value 22% more than average club during that period. That puts Moores ahead nearly threefold on paper in real dollars, as he paid $94M for the club in 1994 ($131.5M in 2008 dollars). The magazine supports the frequent Friar explanation that stadium debt service is handcuffing the team while also noting an increase in money for signing draftees and building the new complex in the Dominican Republic. The Padres reportedly posted $23.6M in operating profit (before taxes, interest, depreciation, and amortization) against $167M in revenue. Positively, Forbes has slotted the Padres in a respectable 7th place in their "Payroll vs. Performance" ranking. Other NL West teams scored as follows (team: value, payroll v. performance):

• Arizona: 20th, 9th


• Colorado: 21st, 2nd


• Los Angeles: 4th, 28th


• San Fransisco: 8th, 27th

We'll likely hear this debt service argument come up again this season as the trade deadline approaches (or if one of the club's aging outfielders goes down). In an interesting note, Forbes didn't mention the club's TV revenues as a problem, though this has been sited in the past by the front office. It's a good thing that Kevin Tower's status as a "sludge merchant" has been upheld by the magazine's ranking of the Padres as the 7th best at payroll vs. performance.