The Padres won 71 games this season and drew 2.1 million fans to Petco Park, which is "not bad, considering the fourth-place product," according to Dennis Lin of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. Padres Exec Chair Ron Fowler said, "On balance, I’m happy. You’re never really happy about not having more wins than losses." Padres co-Owner Peter Seidler said, "I enjoyed this year. So many of us did, because the team played hard. ... Even more important to me, our minor league organization functions so well right now." After numerous trades last season, the team's owners thought the Padres would be "making noise" by '19 and "threatening for a division title" by '20. They said that this season has "not materially affected their timeline." Fowler: "This year has convinced me to be patient and you need to be prepared for a fall after a rise." Two years from now, the Padres "hope and expect to be in a much different place." Seidler: "At minimum, if we’re not in the chase for (the playoffs), I’d be disappointed. (If not), it wouldn’t mean I’d be angry or upset or anything. I think, given where we are right now, in 2019 we should have every chance not to just be a playoff team but to win the division." The Padres "currently have only about" $30M committed for '18. The payroll is "bound to rise." The final total "remains to be seen." Fowler: "We are not restrained by anything. ... We're going to be very careful. But when we're ready to spend money, we'll spend money." Seidler: "We try to look at the payroll budget as kind of a three-year exercise" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/1).
