Looking at where the padres have ranked payroll wise since '98, I just wonder why the days of being 17th or 20th in that department are a thing of the past? Would anyone really be surprised if that's where they find themselves in 2014 or 2015? We're talking about a ton of things that tie together. How the team fares in the immediate years to come to how the attendance looks in two years time, etc. One thing we know for certain is the team will no longer be making "mortgage payments". The annual stadium debt represents less then 1/2 of the revenue sharing they've been getting right? Things are on the upswing, most importantly the young talent. Was reading a Dodger site like gaslampball where they called the Padres the most balanced team in the division.
I'm expecting a lot of otimism entering the 2013 season. Here is a good rundown of those payrolls. When the team wasn't crap they spent, definitely runs in cycles.
http://www.stevetheump.com/Payrolls.htm