$3.9B Padres gamble could bring Dodgers dreams — or Mets nightmares

Jon Fleischman’s latest MLB Sports column for the California Post!

Don’t Care About Baseball? You Can Just Skip This Read!

About once a month or so I write a column for the California Post on my other favorite past-time (besides politics) - Major League Baseball. If you like this topic, I hope you enjoy reading this. If it’s not your thing, it’s just one thing to delete each month! - Jon

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A Record Price Does Not Guarantee A Winning Blueprint

Big sale prices get headlines.

But in baseball, the real question is what happens after the deal closes.

The Padres may be about to fetch a record $3.9 billion sale price. That is enough to invite obvious comparisons to the Dodgers. But paying near-Dodgers money does not mean you get the Dodgers model. It does not even mean you get Dodgers results.

You might get something much messier.

From Massive Check To Major Risk

The Dodgers did not become baseball’s gold standard just because a rich ownership group bought the franchise.

They became the Dodgers because that ownership group paired money with discipline, judgment, and the right baseball people. Mark Walter, Stan Kasten, Andrew Friedman, Brandon Gomes, and Dave Roberts helped build an operation that expects to contend every year.

That is not just wealth.

That is competent ownership.

Why Padres Fans Should Be Cautious

José Feliciano is expected to become the Padres’ controlling owner. That makes his track record matter.

And that is where this gets uncomfortable.

In my latest California Post column, I explain why this looming Padres sale is not just about valuation. It is about whether San Diego is getting a true championship blueprint — or a high-priced ownership gamble that could look a lot more like the Mets, or even Chelsea, than the Dodgers.

Read the full column here.