I recall that article from when it was published in August. Hard for me to say if the circumstances were the same with the television deal an unknown at that time.
Based on Center's chat today he mentioned a potential lawsuit from McCourt (against MLB) if the Padres were allowed to complete the purchase of the team using any of the upfront funds from the new Fox deal, like what he was trying to do only months ago. I buy that. Connecting the dots it seems like if the money isn't there to conclude the sale without using the upfront Fox money the sale will continue on its regular course with a conclusion prior to the 2014 season.
The median payroll is approaching 100m. The Padres not only just got a sizeable increase in TV money, but a ton of upfront money to boot. I bet they reach the 70m figure in the 2014 season. At that point no longer will they be allocating revenue towards finalizing the purchase, the payroll should increase again, talent permitting. I'm not expecting them to start signing 15-20m/yr free agents, but guys could be sought in trades that were previously not options. I fully expect them to take a smart approach when it comes to spending the money.
Take the next team north. They have a huge payroll, but so much of it is spent poorly. When guys like Upton & Bruce were getting their 6/50m contracts, Kemp was given no such guarantees. They wait, end up committing more than three times as much to keep him around past 2012, and in no way does "smart" come into the equation. He's a star, but paying him close to free agent wages could have been avoided. I've asked Dodger fans why Kershaw wasn't given a LT contract before 2011, and have yet to get a plausible explanation. I'm sure they'll keep Kershaw, that's not the question at all, it's just that they're going to pay a ton more then had they been pro-active. I think you can chalk that up to the mindset of the wealthy. It seems like no big payroll team has a better long-term mindset than Boston. They identify their core early, and they lock them up. There are exceptions (Ellsbury), but typically you can find other factors that likely came into pay (Boras).
To sum up, I'm glad neither LA or SF have the slightest resemblance to doing things as the Sox have. We'd be much more screwed if that were the case. It's going to be a lot more fun exploring trades for players who could be in line for an 8-figure salary, even if it's on the low-end.
The 2012 salary is set, yeah they could probably dangle some money Oswalts way right now if they get the deal finalized. 1/8m, 7m salary + 1m buyout on '13 mutual option, might not look so bad to Oswalt right now. Signing Oswalt, bumping Moseley to the pen and possibly sending both Owings & Bass to the minors would be a pretty drastic move. For next year things get much more interesting, or at the deadline if they're competing. Not many teams are in a position to take on 5m at that time, the Padres could just be.
Crazy how the Padres attendance fared to the AL clubs. 8 teams drew fewer fans then the last place Padres last year. The 2012 club gets off to a much better start and the attendance could grow momentum. I like how all the pieces are coming together. Even for as cash poor as Moorad is made out to be, I'm damn appreciative of their only being 7 teams that have spent more then the Padres in the past 3 drafts since him buying the team. Signing Whitson and/or Vanegas would have bumped them even higher (referring back to Depo's comment about over 5m left on the table to 3 HS picks).
Even though the Padres payroll has increased I don't think they improved any ground compared to the rest of baseball, pretty sure bottom 4 this year as well last. 2013 I don't think that will be the case. Don't shoot me if I'm wrong please! By all means the 2013 team should be young with guys like Grandal, Gyorko, Erlin, Kelly & Wieland being key pieces.
Planning on writing about my current thinking in long-term extension candidates for the Padres. Part foresight, part potential doom. With the financial picture looking *rosier*, it's worth revisiting as these next several weeks are opportune times to sign a few guys. Stay tuned.