Jeff Moorad thinks long term for the Padres

April 1, 11:17 AMSan Diego Padres ExaminerJudson Green

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Jeff Moorad is like a kid at Christmas.

By now you've heard about the sale of the Padres to Jeff Moorad and his partners. It's more like a phasing in of one ownership - the Moorad group, and the phasing out of another - the Moores group. Indeed, Moorad has said that for the time being, he and John Moores are partners in owning and operating the Padres. But experts expect that if Moorad can come up with the money, he should get approval from the necessary 75% of the owners to approve his group taking full control of the team. The final price is likely to be in the neighborhood of $500 million. Moorad has also replaced Sandy Alderson as CEO of the Padres.

Moorad, he of the Ben Stein voice, was still upbeat as he talked about the sale. He's been all smiles ever since stepping down as Diamondbacks CEO to pursue this dream. He seems giddy. A 99 loss team last year, and a franchise with zero World Series titles, but Moorad is still calling it a "jewel of a franchise".

But far from being a kid excited to play with his new toy, Moorad is stepping back to look at the big picture. He has declared 2009 an evaluative season for the Padres, so he can get an idea for where he needs to proceed for their long-term future.

It's an odd thing to think about a season as an evaluative year. We're used to thinking about them as "compete for the World Series title, just like every other season" years. But with the low payroll expected for next season, the diminishing, but still living possibility of ace Jake Peavy being traded, and a farm system that is average at best, a long term view is exactly what this team needs. The most profitable investment is in developing home-grown talent, and while it is sensible for all teams, it is imperative for a small market team such as the Padres.

John Moores agrees. Tim Sullivan quoted him in a March 26 column for the San Diego Union-Tribune, as saying:

"A long time ago I took the position that we do not want to mortgage the future for the sake of winning in August or September,” Moores said. “It's just not worth it. It's a fool's errand. The one surprise for me in baseball is that so many clubs still do it, and then I think they rue the day ...

“There's such terrible pressure on baseball to win and win now: 'To hell with the future, I have to do it now.' But it doesn't work 'cause next year comes around and then you're caught short."

He's right, of course. If the Padres were to choose to mortgage their future right now, they would be accruing even more debt, and setting themselves up for disaster down the road for the mere possibility of success today. However, while there is no guaranteed formula for success in baseball, the Padres' best approach is to be mindful of their situation. They are likely to be a last place team next year, and do not have the resources to make the leap into contention in the free agent market. Those limited resources also indicate the most economical way for the Padres to create consistent success is to focus their energies on developing home grown talent. It's the long term, plan for the future way. It's the way of John Moores, and the way of new Padres owner Jeff Moorad.