Padres co-Owner Peter Seidler recently participated in a Q&A with the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE's Jeff Sanders, and the Padres' lead investor "sees brighter days around the corner" for the franchise. Below are excerpts from the Q&A, some of which have been edited for brevity.
Q: What message would you deliver to Padres fans?
Seidler: Please keep the faith. Everybody is working exceptionally hard to bring winning baseball to San Diego at the major league level. This season so far from a win-loss perspective has been a disappointment for all of us. ... But I balance my personal disappointment over the win-loss record with confidence that our baseball organization led by [Exec VP & GM] A.J. Preller and our on-field leadership led by [manager] Andy Green -- both groups are doing everything they can to lead us to winning baseball.
Q: What’s the concern level that the team’s win-loss record may impact that gate even more as the season goes on?
Seidler: Attendance is down a little bit, but I think our attendance is generally still quite good. You know, I think the experience at Petco Park is magnificent and every home game I take a lap around the ballpark, kind of wander around, and it's always encouraging to me how much enjoyment people get out of being at a baseball game at Petco.
Q: In spring training, there were rumors that A.J. was on the hot seat. Can you address those?
Seidler: Those rumors are completely untrue. We are very pleased with what A.J. has done since the day that we hired him. He's never been on the hot seat. When we hired A.J. some 21 months ago, we were very optimistic that he would build an organization that would lead us to a years of winning baseball. And I think while that takes a little bit of time, I think we're well into making that happen
Q: The word out there is you guys [will] spend big on the draft and international talent this summer. What can you say about that?
Seidler: We hope to make significant signings once the July international window opens. That's not until July, so we continue to scout and observe and get to know not just the baseball talent, but also the character and the personal characteristics of many of these international teenagers that we hope to sign (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/28).
